Tourism, Can This Be the Next Big Thing for India

In 2014 France received about 84 million international tourists, the United States around 75 million and Thailand nearly 25 million. India welcomed fewer than eight million foreign visitors, fewer than Malaysia or Macau. A country with more than thirty sites on the World Heritage list, some of the world's highest mountains, a long coast, rich cuisine, festivals and a spiritual tradition that attracts seekers seems to have the makings of a tourist giant. The topic asks whether tourism can be the next big thing for India. The numbers say the potential is far from used.

Tourism's economic case is strong. It is a labour intensive industry, creating jobs in hotels, transport, guiding, handicrafts, food and entertainment, and it creates many jobs for each unit of capital compared to manufacturing. Tourism and travel directly and indirectly support a substantial share of employment in India, estimated at somewhat under ten per cent of all jobs by industry bodies, and they provide a large share of the jobs for women and the less skilled. It earns foreign exchange, around 18 to 20 billion dollars in 2013 and 2014, which helps the balance of payments. It spreads income to remote regions that factories do not reach, such as the hills, deserts and islands. And it supports small enterprises, such as homestays, craftsmen and local guides.

India already has success stories. Kerala marketed itself with the slogan God's Own Country from the 1990s, built backwater tourism, houseboats and Ayurveda wellness, and became a leading destination. Rajasthan's palaces and forts, Goa's beaches, Himachal's hills and the heritage cities of Tamil Nadu draw both Indians and foreigners. The Incredible India campaign, launched in 2002, gave the country an identity abroad. Medical tourism, driven by good hospitals and low costs, brings patients from neighbouring countries and from the West. Religious tourism to places such as Varanasi, Tirupati and the Kumbh Mela draws vast numbers. The domestic market is huge, with well over a billion tourist visits made by Indians each year, and rising incomes will push it further.

The domestic market is huge, with well over a billion tourist visits made by Indians each year, and rising incomes will push it further.

Yet the obstacles are considerable. Safety is the first. The incidents of crime against women, including the gang rape in Delhi in 2012, and reports of harassment and fraud have damaged the image of the country, and some governments issued warnings to travellers. Cleanliness and sanitation, the second, are weak. Visitors complain of litter, poor public toilets and unsafe food at some sites. Infrastructure is the third problem. Roads, railways, airports and signposting are uneven, and connectivity to remote sites is poor. Hotels at mid price are inadequate. Aggressive touts, overcharging and a lack of information frustrate visitors. Visa procedure was long, though the introduction in November 2014 of a system of electronic travel authorisation for visitors from dozens of countries was a step forward.

The environment is also at risk. Mass tourism has damaged fragile places. The Himalaya suffers from litter and unplanned construction, as was dramatically illustrated by the floods and landslides at Kedarnath in June 2013, in which thousands of pilgrims and residents died, and which many linked to heedless development. The marble of the Taj Mahal is discoloured by air pollution. Beaches in Goa face pressure from construction and waste. Cultural problems arise too, when local life is turned into a performance or when sex tourism and exploitation of children are allowed to grow. If tourism destroys what attracted the tourist, it ends by killing its own market.

Other countries offer models. Thailand built a mass tourism industry with a strong hospitality culture and good infrastructure. Bhutan has chosen the reverse approach of high value, low volume, requiring visitors to pay a daily fee, to protect its culture and nature. Spain and France have shown how heritage, food and climate can be turned into sustained prosperity. Each has understood that the visitor wants an experience, a story and a service that can be trusted.

A strategy for India should rest on several points. Safety and cleanliness must be treated as national priorities, with trained tourist police, helplines, clean toilets and a zero tolerance of fraud. Infrastructure must be improved at selected circuits, such as Buddhist, coastal, heritage, wildlife and spiritual circuits, as the Swadesh Darshan scheme proposes. Simplified visas, direct flights and good promotion abroad are needed. Local communities should share in the benefits, through homestays, local guides and sale of crafts, so that people living near attractions have a stake in protecting them. Carrying capacity limits, controls on construction and waste management are essential. Skills training for hospitality staff would improve service.

Technology can help. Online booking, digital maps, translation tools and mobile payments reduce the friction of travel for foreign visitors, and social media offers cheap marketing. Government portals can provide verified information on prices, guides and safety. The use of data on visitor numbers would help to manage crowds at popular sites and spread visitors to lesser known ones.

The cultural heritage itself needs care. A heritage site in decay does not draw visitors, and many of India's monuments are poorly maintained or encroached upon. The Archaeological Survey of India is short of staff and funds. Private partnerships to adopt monuments, which allow businesses to build facilities in return for upkeep, are one route, provided that the integrity of the site is protected. Festivals, crafts, music and cuisine are living heritage that can be supported as part of the tourist offering, and the artisans who keep them alive deserve a fair share of the income.

There is also a place for domestic tourism in the debate. Because Indians account for the great majority of tourist visits, the quality of services for them determines the industry's health. Improvements in clean toilets, safe transport and fair prices for domestic tourists help foreign visitors too. A tourist industry that treats its own citizens well is likely to treat foreigners well.

If these are done, tourism can be a major source of jobs and income and also a means of understanding between peoples. If they are not, it will remain a missed opportunity, or worse, a source of damage. The line between a visitor who is welcomed and a visitor who is exploited runs through every site. The Taj Mahal has been standing for nearly four centuries, and it will take the visitors of the next few decades to decide in what condition it stands for the next four. That depends on how many come, how they behave and what the country asks of them, and the question has not yet been put to either side.