Such A Long Journey
To analysts, even that tiny number reflects undue optimism on the part of policy-makers given the degree of attention the countrys second-largest forex earner has attracted. There have not been, for instance, any major policy announcements on the sector since Rajiv Gandhis prime ministership. And, not surprisingly, new investments in the sector have been hard to come by. Upto 1995, 141 projects had been approved; only three have been implemented so far.
The root of this neglect lies in the official attitude towards the industry. The 23rd and latest parliamentary committee report on transport and tourism squarely blames Indias planners for looking at tourism as an elitist rather than a developmental industry. Which is why any attempt at change a casino project here, a golf course project there is usually stalled by a barrage of criticism.
Indias problem is that tourism is a state subject, so there has never been any coordinated effort either to promote the industry or, as importantly, to market India abroad. The department of tourism, which is supposed to do this, was given an outlay of Rs 109.12 crore. Of this, Rs 58.4 crore was spent on overseas publicity and maintaining its 18 offices (see page 6).
It is not as though the government is unaware of the problems. The National Strategy Plan for Tourism Development was prepared and submitted by tourism secretary G Sundaram in May 1996. According to Sundaram,