NOT MUCH IMPACT OF GULF WAR ON
TOURISM
Foreign tourist arrivals
in the month of march, 2003 when the gulf war was on is estimated
to be around 2.20 lakhs which shows a growth of 1.6% as compared
to the tourist arrivals in the month of March 2002. With the revival
trend in tourist arrivals with effect from October 2002, the average
growth rate for the period October 2002 to February 2003 is estimated
to be 15.5%. This was informed by the Minister for Tourism and
Culture, Shri Jagmohan in a reply to a question by S/Shri J.S.
Brar and Manikrao Hodlya Gavit in Lok Sabha today.
Shri Jagmohan further
informed that the Department of Tourism has the following short-term
and long-term plans to promote tourism thereby attracting foreign
tourists:
- Positioning and maintaining tourism
development as a National priority activity.
- Enhancing and maintaining the
competitiveness of India as a tourism destination.
- Improving India’s existing tourism
products and expanding these to meet new market requirements.
- Creation of world class infrastructure.
- Developing sustained and effective
market plans and programmes.
- Special thrust to rural and small
segment tourism.
- Attention to civilisational issues
and issues pertaining to civic administration, good governance
and also of social and cultural values.
- Development of tourism circuits
and tourism-cum-cultural hubs.
