The National Talent Competition, organised by PHDCCI and participated by 37 bright students from 18 prominent tourism education institutions of India, also emerged as an excellent platform for receiving Innovative and ‘Out of the Box’ ideas from the young minds.

While I congratulate the winner teams and students for being the best, I compliment all the student participants for giving amazing ideas. The idea of a Team to launch local domestic tourism campaign in the name of ” Aas -Paas Tourism”, was indeed creative ;the suggestion of student teams to develop ”Self-service technology”, and prepare ”Multi skilled” work force for the new normal were also laudable. One team also highlighted the need to have ”District Level Destination Planning and Management bodies”, an idea that also figures in the ‘Draft New National Tourism Policy-2020’ circulated by Ministry of Tourism, last week.

Despite suggesting different sets of approach to deal with the new global order, the teams were unanimous in conveying the message to the industry and the academia, that ‘skill and talent development’ in tourism sector requires change and innovations to deal with the ‘new normal’.

The presence of Honourable Union Tourism Minister during the Valedictory event, his encouraging address and his blessings to the Young tourism force of India, will certainly instill a great deal of confidence in them and boost their morale, in this crisis-hour.

PHDCCI deserves ‘thumbs up’ from Tourism fraternity for working proactively for the Students and Young Professionals of the Sector. It is time for Academic institutions and Industry to also accelerate their efforts to address this segment.

New Tourism Foundation, keeping this objective in mind has taken a small step to engage and empower Tourism Students, by starting a Group on Facebook. The Foundation is also contemplating to organise a virtual event in near future , exclusively for Tourism Students.

Covid pandemic has shaken up the life of every human being on this planet. The crisis has however taught some good lessons too. To be ‘Self-Reliant’ has been one of the most important ‘take aways’, both for individuals and nations. No wonder, why the Union Govt ,underlining the relevance of self-reliance in times of crises, launched a ‘Self Reliant India Mission’ commonly termed ‘ Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, in the midst of economic crisis, arising from the pandemic.

The policy of self reliance is relevant for all industries too, and more so for ‘Travel and Tourism Industry’, as it has been the hardest hit. It is time that the industry seriously deliberated to find feasible solutions not only to stand on its feet, but also to move forward and achieve greater self-reliance. So how could the travel & tourism industry in India become more resilient and self dependent in the current state of affairs?

India’s travel and tourism Industry relies on three pillars of tourism: Inbound, Outbound and Domestic. Looking at the uncertain scenario of Covid crisis, all over the world, it would take some more time for international travel to re-open. Further, as the inbound and outbound tourism for all nations would be largely influenced by the health status of the visiting and visited countries; international health-safety protocols and revised visa policies, it would take a great deal of time and lot of efforts for all countries, including India, to attain the pre-covid level of international travelling. The viability of international airlines, unless adequate two way passenger traffic is restored, may also act as an inhibitor . Thus, both Inbound and Outbound tourism for India, are likely to remain uncertain for some more time.

Domestic Tourism, therefore remains as the only strong pillar for the industry, to depend upon, for its revival and well being. The strengths of domestic tourism in India are many. Having a huge number of domestic travellers, being a large country with vast population and with a consistently high growth rate for over three decades , domestic tourism in India is poised for an impressive growth in the coming decade, higher than the average growth rate of 13%, achieved since 1991.

India registered a record 1800 million domestic tourist visits in 2018, as compared to 10 million foreign tourist arrivals during the same year. If ten million FTAs could bring around INR 2 lakh crores of foreign exchange in a year, how much revenue and employment domestic tourism must have generated for the Industry and for country’s economy with 1800 million visits, can be very well imagined.

Covid-19 has also proved that it is the ‘Indigenous’ and ‘Local’ which has played the biggest role in management of crises in India and have kept the nation moving. On similar lines, domestic tourism is emerging as the most reliable path to keep India Tourism moving.

The Union Govt, realising the aforesaid strength and potential of domestic tourism has already unleashed a mega virtual promotional campaign “Dekho Apna Desh”. Unlock -3, effective from 1st August, has further facilitated travelling within the country, by re-opening interstate movement of people and goods without any riders. With air, rail and road connectivity improving every day and with hospitality services, malls and shopping complexes having re-opened in most parts of the country, it is time for State and UT Governments and the Industry to restart and re-promote domestic tourism. While the Govt must provide adequate health-safety infrastructure, the industry has to ensure end-to-end health-safety of domestic travellers. The success of domestic tourism at this stage, would largely depend upon, how quickly the confidence of domestic travellers is rebuilt.

In order to give additional push to domestic travelling, the Industry must explore as to how can the ‘high-end’ and luxury products, normally availed of by foreign travellers, are customised and offered to domestic travellers at reasonable costs and terms. The industry should also tap the huge outbound travellers’ segment of India and motivate them with attractive itineraries and seamless travelling, to re-explore & re-experience their own Incredible country .

The ‘message of the hour’ for the tourism fraternity of India is loud & clear.

That, domestic Tourism has the required potential to make Indian tourism industry sustainable and self-reliant, and

That domestic tourism can make a substantial contribution to help India to become ‘Atmanirbhar’.

 

Civil Services Exam of India, is a test of person’s knowledge, intellectual qualities, mental caliber and personality. Qualities like sincerity, perseverance, hard work and strong self – motivation are equally essential.

Amusement Industry , comprising amusement parks, theme parks and indoor amusement centres are excellent drivers of domestic tourism.

The industry, once re-opened, is likely to further boost the domestic tourism sector of the country. With hotels, malls, restaurants and shopping markets having re-started , with certain riders and conditions, in most parts of the country, re-opening of this tourism segment may just be a matter of time.

It is however necessary for the amusement Industry to ensure that adequate measures are put in place at the parks, like crowd management by regulating number of visitors ; keeping safe physical distance of 6 feet between visitors ; sanitising the area between rides and following other health-safety protocols ,that have been issued by Union Government and State Govts, while re-opening tourism destinations, hospitality services, malls, restaurants and market places.

India is currently doing reasonably well in Cross border tourism with neighbouring SAARC and South East Asian nations . During 2018, the country received 4 million inbound travellers from 14 countries of this region, almost 40 percent of its total foreign tourists arrivals during that year. The Outbound Tourism from India to this region has been as much as the inbound.

It is however an apt time for India and the nations of this region to work together and synergise, to draw maximum advantage of bordering each other. The changing need of people to travel shorter distances and safer destinations in the ‘New Normal’ is also a good reason for these nations to augment inter border tourism.

Andhra Pradesh registered an impressive 195 million domestic tourist visits during 2018, fourth highest in the country and has remained as a relatively health-safe State during covid. The State therefore has great potential to be one of the early starters of domestic tourism.

Andhra Pradesh is well connected with air, having 4 airports; with rail having Vijaywada as a connecting junction ; with
NH4,NH5 and NH7 roads and has incredible tourism destinations, suiting all tastes and themes viz pilgrimage, nature , ecotourism, beaches, cruise, heritage and cultural tourism.

Domestic tourism in India has been consistently registering double digit growth rate for last three decades and has always been a bigger contributor to India’s economy than the Inbound tourism.The Covid crisis has further led to greater reliance on domestic tourism.

The Ministry of Tourism, State Govts and Tourism industry must therefore gear up and make all possible efforts to re-build, re-activate and re-promote domestic tourism , while living with the vagaries of Covid.

The success would largely depend upon how, the health safety of travellers is ensured in practice ,and how soon are we able to re-build confidence among travellers by dispelling their fear for travelling.

I compliment ICM Group for organising E-Tourism Summit on 3rd July, to propagate “Bharat Dekho” campaign. Such an initiative, coming from ICM Group, a private player of the Industry ,is indeed laudable. This will certainly help to accelerate domestic travelling.

‘Bharat Dekho’ is not to be taken just as a slogan. It is incumbent upon all Indians to see their country first.

” Pehle desh phir pardesh ” should be our resolution.

It was a pleasure to be one of the ‘Authors’ of FICCI-Grant Thornton Report on the subject ‘Travel & Tourism- In Times of COVID-19’ and to speak at the webinar on its launch .

The report is not just an overview of impact of Covid-19, on the Industry, but is also a ‘guide’ to the industry stakeholders viz Hospitality,Travel Trade,Aviation, Ground transport and Amusement, suggesting the way forward and recommending measures, for each of them to survive, revive and thrive, while living with Covid.

The report has also recommended in great detail, the short term and long term measures, that Union Govt and State Govts should take, through fiscal, monetary, regulatory and policy interventions.

FICCI-Thornton report, will be a good reading for benefit of all stakeholders in travel, tourism , hospitality and aviation industry of the Country.

The report can be viewed at the following link :

http://ficci.in/spdocument/23252/Travel-june-FGT-n.pdf

 

Technology and Tourism , will now be inseparable ,both in post covid as well as post covid-vaccine era.

In times to come, the ‘virtual world ‘will occupy a significant place in the world of travel and tourism. It would however not replace the virtues of ‘real world’. Both these ‘worlds’ will coexist and complement each other, for the betterment of the sector, globally.

The new normal, forced by covid crisis, must be seen as an opportunity by travel and tourism stakeholders, for imbibing and embedding, relevant technology in their business models and marketing strategies, for their own revival and for sustainability of the sector.

It was a pleasure to address the Webinar on ‘Technology , a partner of tourism in post covid era’ organised by New Tourism Foundation.

My thoughts are recorded in the attached video film.

https://www.facebook.com/vinodzutshiiasretd/videos/610844489789658/