In an exclusive interview with IndusScrolls, Gyan Bhushan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, deliberates on tourism and emphasizes on India’s exclusivity for its diverse culture and how tourism’s contribution can improve in terms of GDP
What is the objective of organizing “Paryatan Parv”?
Paryatan Parv started on 16th September and will conclude with the World Tourism Day celebrations on 27th September 2018. This event will have three main components, the first being “Tourism for All” . The main objective of drawing focus on the benefits of tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country. This is also to reinforce that tourism is not meant only for the elitist but it is thrown open for all.
India is heavily loaded with cultural heritage with yoga, handicraft, diverse cuisine that people are visiting this colorful ‘parv’ with much delight. The second component is Dekho Apna Desh whose main objective is to encourage Indians to visit their own country. The reason is to wean off people who are interested in visiting only foreign countries rather than their own. Here, Indians have not seen India enough and also this can expose our own citizens to our rich cultural heritage, diverse cuisines
and rich handicraft. Thirdly, we have focused on Tourism & Governance. Under this component we have organised interactive Sessions & workshops with Stakeholders on varied themes like Skill
Development in Tourism Sector, Innovation in Tourism. We have inducted ex-servicemen as service providers for Taxi Operation. There is a segment which is working on developing rural tourism in
locations near established destinations. We are also conducting community sensitisation workshops on Homestay and B&B Opportunities. We have organized various kinds of skits, nukkad natak,
workshops, competitions to send a message as to how India is good interms of quality and diversity.
What kinds of workshops have you organized in this ParyatanParv?
In terms of tourism arrival in India, we are growing by about 14%-15% per annum. In order to support this flow, in terms of providing quality manpower, we are organizing a number of workshops. Also through this event, we are also sensitizing the “Swachata Pakhwada”. Usually tourists coming from abroad complain about the inadequacy in areas of hygiene and cleanliness. Thus, these initiatives are about making India vibrant by improving the quality services for all.
What kind of arrangements are you doing for “tourism for all” as you know usually tourism caters only to those who can afford it?
Tourism is a tertiary activity where people use their discretionary income. Moreover, there is a notion that one has to spell out a large amount of money on tourism but if you visit the paryatan parv, there is
no entry fee for any event or any workshop there. So that anybody can visit this. There are about 54 food stalls which are authentic serving different cuisines of our country at nominal prices under one roof. All
these food stalls are running at not-for-profit basis. These steps are taken to showcase our cuisine to people. Also in order to promote wellness tourism, yoga workshops are conducted which is also free of cost for people who visit the parv.
How is this Parv different from last year?
Our honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was keen on promoting this concept. So we ventured into this for the first time and launched it last year. This year we collaborated with Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga who are conducting yoga workshop in the most organized way attracting large crowds this year. Moreover, Paryatan parv is happening in 3150 places in India including all Union territories wherein many ministries came together to put in its energy around it to publicise it so that the message spreads to all corners of the country so that more and more people can enjoy the platform.
Kerala also popularly called as God’s own country is a major tourist revenue-generating state. But with the massive floods, it has been devastated. So can you throw light on its impact on tourism?
Definitely Kerala has been devastated by massive floods. Our honorable minister, Shri Alphonse has visited the affected areas and also looked into the rescue operations. Right now, it’s time for rehabilitation. And Kerala is ready and open for tourism once again. Recently, our minister
interacted with people of the tourism hospitality industry to confirm the preparedness of the tourism industry. So Kerala is ready for its tourists.
Since the day the Parv has opened for the public, what has been the response?
The response has been tremendous. This is not a Delhi-centric event which is happening all across India. Cutting across age gender etc, a diverse mix of crowd is visiting the parv. People are enjoying the
cultural programs and the food stalls are flooded. We are delighted with this kind of response.
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