Tourism needs to be the number one priority for our economy, said Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Citing statistics, Tharoor said that tourism in India accounts for 9.6 per cent of the nation's overall GDP. Tourism also provides 40 million jobs and comprises 9 per cent of total employment.
"I always tell people that $1,000 invested in tourism creates at least 8 jobs," said Tharoor, speaking at the launch of Dr Venu Vasudevan's book An introduction to the business of tourism.
"We all know that Make in India is not working so well and no one is coming to India to make things. It should better be Visit India instead of Make in India," said Tharoor, citing that only 9 million foreign travellers visited India, compared to 65 million that visited Paris alone, last year.
Tharoor's comment gains significance in the context that 88 per cent of India's tourism revenue is generated by domestic tourists. India is also the 40th slowest growing tourism market in the world.
"Government has created 1.13 lakh jobs in last three years instead of 2 crore. Tourism needs to be number one priority in a demography like India, comprising mostly of people in their thirties and mid-twenties, when it is not," Tharoor said.
Vasudevan was the brain behind the Incredible India campaign along with with Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog.
"Everything that culture does, tourism consumes. It is in that sense I hope this book finds relevance among students of 40 universities now, that are offering bachelors and masters course in this subject," said Vasudevan, who had also been closely associated with Kerala Institute of Tourism Studies, India's first formal institute devoted to training in tourism related courses.
