post news network, Bhubaneswar, May 9: The new tourism policy of the Central government is now almost ready and is expected to be made public soon. The Union tourism ministry, meanwhile, has released the draft Tourism Policy 2015 in order to make clear the government’s agenda and future course of action.
The 50-page draft policy mentions many first-of-its-kind initiatives to boost tourism in the country. The document points at the huge tourism potential of Orissa and it is expected that the state will get good support from the Union government to expand the tourism sector here.
The 450-kms long coastline, the presence of some of the famous Buddhist sites, famous pilgrimage centres, numerous traditional heritage villages and a major port (Paradip) make Orissa a state with enough potential from the point of view of tourism industry, to attract Centre’s attention to further develop the state. The document has already appreciated the efforts made by the Orissa government in forming ‘tourist police’ to ensure the safety of visitors to the various tourist sites in the state.
The draft policy, which aims to increase the contribution of the tourism sector to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current 6.7 per cent to 7.6 per cent by 2025, has suggested many new innovative moves to boost tourism in the country. The document, especially talks about coordination among the states and the Central government for optimal result. The draft policy has given special importance to the Public-Private-Public Partnership (PPPP), where the third P stands for the general public, which the government feels has to take more interest in protecting heritage tourism sites. Simply said more community involvement is needed, whereby participation of citizens in protecting the sites in close proximity to their residence/locality is taken into account to ensure overall development of the sites.
The new policy talks about setting up of bodies like National Tourism Advisory Body, Inter Ministerial/Departmental Coordination Committee etc. to weed out the hassles of red tape while planning to upgrade infrastructural facilities available at the existing tourist sites. The Union tourism ministry has already announced the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) to help Puri and 11 other cities of the country develop their infrastructural facilities. Orissa is expected to get the benefit of the coastal circuit development plan of the government as also the Buddhist circuit development plan because of its geographical locale and presence of some of the important Buddhist sites in the state.
The government, meanwhile is also mulling to target some of the unexplored or less explored areas in the country. Government’s plan to work on cruise tourism by connecting the Indian ports is likely to bring further development to the Paradip port here. The government also plans to revive rural tourism, which is likely to benefit the numerous art and craft villages in the state.
Moreover, the government is also planning to develop beach tourism through setting up of a separate body, which would be managed by the state government. Keeping in mind the large coastline of the state as also some of its famous beaches such as Puri, Chandrabhaga, Ramchandi, it is expected that Orissa will get an extra advantage. The Union government is also mulling to make most tourist sites of the state more disabled-friendly.
Experts from the city are also buoyed by the policy document, but many are waiting for the proper implementation of the future plans of the governments, both Union and state. Talking to Orissa POST, Benjamin Simon, chairman, Indian Association of Tour Operators (Orissa Chapter) said, “The Buddhist sites across the state are rich in potential. They are a favourable destination for people living in the many south-Asian countries that practice Buddhism. The government must give proper attention to develop these sites to woo foreign tourists. The Central and state governments should work in tandem to make sure that facilities available at these sites are upgraded to the international standards.”
Prakash K Rath, area director of Special Olympics, an organisation that provides training in sports to differently-able people, said, “A major hurdle in tourism is its non disable-friendly nature. If the government pays proper attention and make the famous tourist sites of the state disabled friendly, it could potentially increase their share of profit and make these more accessible to all sections of the people of the society. At railway stations and other tourist sites, disabled and aged persons often face accessibility problems, which dampen their prospects of visiting the tourist sites.”
Himanshu Das, vice president, Travel Agents Association of Orissa said, “One thing that the government must ponder over is the maintenance of uniformity in services rendered by the guides, taxi drivers and travel agents. Many of these persons often confuse the tourists by misinforming them. A proper training of these people is required.”