Finetune policies to promote domestic tourism: Study

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SME Times News Bureau
The government should reinforce policies and focus on effective marketing to promote domestic tourism which has a huge potential to contribute to the social and economic inclusive growth, a study said Sunday.

Despite the government being aware of how community tourism is changing the landscape of rural economies in developing countries, and having allotted sufficient funds and policy frameworks for the purpose, the need of the hour is not being served, said a study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Yes Bank.

"The policies are very basic and principle-oriented in nature, which alienate them from on-ground scenarios, making execution strategies difficult to implement. Now that there are successful models running in the country, it might prove to be beneficial to revisit the frameworks in their light and bridge the lacunae," it added.

According to the study, the Incredible India campaign has taken rural tourism as a key niche and there is ample representation in almost every advertising facet. However, these products are often marketed as stand-alones.

A better strategy might be to assimilate the ethos into traditional tourism products as New Zealand has done in the case of certain adventure activities.

The study also said that there should be enough focus on capacity building as lack of human resource, specially when it comes to service-oriented roles, is a major reason why India loses out on tourism footfalls.

It also adds that there is a big need to train entrepreneurs. "Rural entrepreneurs, in recent times, have proved to be the success story of the emerging Indian economy, and provided that a clear direction is given, they can very well champion the cause of sustainable tourism models."

The study also talked about conserving tradition and values, besides ensuring infrastructure development.

"Although self-management of models is essential to make them sustainable, the facilities around destinations and products are something that the authorities have to ensure," the study said.

"Connectivity, apart from safety, and accommodation are the key components which need to be addressed, as such products often involve travel to remote destinations," it added.