The government is attempting to make India 'Incredible' again. In Union budget 2019, a proposal has been made to make 17 iconic Indian sites great again.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her maiden budget speech—peppered with cultural references—said these desitnations will be developed as world class sites and “serve as model’’ as they would “enhance visitor experience, which would lead to increased visits of both domestic and international tourists at these destinations’’.
The tourism sector—once India's sunshine industry—is ecstatic. The number of people choosing to head to India for a holiday has been declining. The economic survey noted worryingly that tourism sector in India has witnessed a slowdown in 2018-19, with the growth rate of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) declining to 2.1 per cent from 14.2 per cent in the previous fiscal year.
“The FTAs in 2018-19 stood at 10.6 million compared to 10.4 million in 2017-18. In terms of growth, the growth rate of FTAs declined from 14.2 per cent in 2017-18 to 2.1 per cent in 2018- 19,” it said.
This winter, even the partying hub Goa witnessed lesser number of tourist footfalls. The issue had become a hot topic during the elections as the state is heavily dependent on tourism. Industry estimates suggest that tourist arrivals into Goa has witnessed a 20-35 per cent decrease.
The government aims to improve facilities at each of these sites belonging to various faiths and spread across the country—from Hampi in Karnataka to Kaziranga in Assam—with the hope of attracting more visitors. The idea is to develop sites and even infrastructure— including museums and in some cases even hotels—at each of these locations and to make them world class. There is also a plan to develop different kind of attractions so that there is something for every taste. The budget has earmarked more money for newer museums to be built at these sites.
Tourism ministry was granted Rs 2,150 crore in the 2018-2019 budget. It has been increased to Rs 2,189.22 crore in the 2019-2020 budget. The ministry of culture’s share of the money has also gone up, from Rs 2,843.32 crore in 2018-2019 to Rs 3,042.35 crore for 2019-2020. In the breakup, a sum of Rs 1,378.53 crore has been allocated for building tourism infrastructure while Rs 575.50 crore has been allocated for promotion and publicity—indicating how important the building new infrastructure is.
Going beyond just built heritage, the budget expanded the idea of culture, and for the first time, took measures to preserve the rich “tribal culture’’. A digital repository is being developed where “documents, folk songs, photos and videos about their evolution, place of origin, lifestyle, architecture, education level, traditional art, folk dances and other anthropological details of the tribes in India are stored...The repository will further be enriched and strengthened,” Sitharaman said.
