Tuesday 3 April 2018

Tourism in Rajasthan: Perspectives for Exponential Growth by Ajay Singha Honorary Advisor FICCI-Rajasthan.

In 2015, tourism created 107 million jobs and provided work to 284 million others. The International Labour Organisation estimates that this number will grow to 136 million and 370 million respectively by 2026. Policy makers in Rajasthan must appreciate the immense potential in this sector for creating jobs and employment opportunities for the non-technical and less skilled work force available in the State. With this background a brief report has been prepared on what can be done to further improve the attractiveness of Rajasthan as a destination for travel and tourism. In 2014, the annual growth of tourist arrivals in the state was 8.9% for domestic and 7.1% for foreign travellers.


People from all over the world come for business, conferences, weddings, music and dance festivals, film shooting, ecotourism, nature walks, wildlife sighting and health rejuvenation to the State. This is in addition to the traditional tourists who come for the heritage, culture, shopping and related experience. As the reason for travel varies the expectations from existing infrastructure and service providers also differs. To further attract and sustain an increasingly varied and non-conventional tourist flow to the State a number of additional initiatives are required. Implementation of these recommendations would result in increased arrivals, creation of jobs and bring general prosperity for Rajasthan.


Stakeholders deeply committed to the travel and trade business in Rajasthan suggest that special attention must be accorded to develop the following areas:
Adventure tourism
Contemporary Music, dance, art and literary festivals
Rural Heritage and Farm tourism
Lesser known destinations
Innovative, non-conventional and emerging tourism products and services
PPP based infrastructure development
Regional Air Connectivity with small aircrafts
Skill development in terms of language
Heritage knowledge and professionalism in travel sector
Outreach to Chinese speaking countries


Regular meetings and interaction must take place between governmental agencies and tourism stakeholders namely the hotel industry, airlines, transporters, guides, MICE event organizers and associations whose members are connected to the travel trade and industry. Government as well as industry must ensure that information for such meetings is widely disseminated and takes place well before the tourist season commences. Coordination meetings between tourism industry stakeholders and officials of DOT, Civil Aviation, Water resources, Transport, Police, PWD, LSG Departments for resolving issues, developing guidelines, obtaining clearances, identification of sites and other tourism related work should take place to ensure transparent decision making and stakeholder participation in all activities.

Taxation is a major area of concern for the tourism industry both at the Central and State level. Adequate attention and serious thought must be given by the political leadership to bring about the much needed tax reforms and harmonization of tax rates for the travel and tourism sector.


An “Implementation tracking” mechanism must be put in place which submits periodic reports to the CMO on work progress by different government departments on tourism. Effective inter- departmental coordination within various arms of the administration, namely: Forest, PWD, UDH, Local Self Government (Panchayati Raj) Rural Development Departments should be used for Tourism Development. What they do specifically and pro-actively for the travel and tourism industry must be tracked and reported.

The following initiatives by the State Government can greatly improve infrastructure and impact growth in this sector:
Guest houses which belong to or come under PHED, PWD, Fisheries, Forest and other Departments across the State must be identified for privatization. The quality of service and facilities can be improved by leasing out these facilities to private operators and then offered for use by tourists as well as government officials albeit at differing rates. The facilities will therefore continue to be available and used by government officials for whom they were created.

Gardens and Heritage properties owned by the State and open space in offices of government undertakings and departments must be identified, listed and subsequently offered for hosting events, MICE or weddings. Needless to say that a ‘One window’ clearance system for all permissions to use these spaces must be put in place before hand.

Remote Heritage monuments which are not in good condition and which can be out sourced for maintenance and exterior lighting to corporate giants in return for branding opportunity at the monument must be identified. Thereafter they must be offered for corporate advertisement through a controlled and monitored mechanism.

Approach organisers of dance, art and music festivals globally through Indian embassies abroad and directly through associations and DOT for organising shows in Rajasthan.

Financial incentives may be offered to event management companies who can put together a festival and sustain it for three years at new destinations. Care to be taken not to offer established destinations and only new destinations must be encouraged.

Upcoming Indian musicians and bands with established fan following should be approached through event organisers for holding the festivals in new destinations. Private marketing agencies should be hired to ensure outreach and information dissemination.

Make special websites in Chinese for focus on China and Chinese speaking tourists.

Small guest houses, Home stay and Bed and Breakfast facilities must be encouraged by increasing the number of rooms allowed under such schemes while monitoring their services to ensure quality.


Stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry of the State must study the following segments with the intention of adopting them as sustainable travel attractions:
Hot Air Ballooning and Paragliding Boating, Paddle Boating Trekking, Nature safaris, Rappelling Equestrian Tourism namely riding trails and Camel safari paths Cycling and identifying cycling paths and safe areas

The above sports are permitted only in selected, approved locations where related infrastructure is available. Training courses for skill development in executing adventure tours, imparting knowledge of equipment, safety and emergency procedures and developing SOPs would require PPP initiatives. Incentives to registered operators of Adventure Sports by way of reimbursements of equipment cost and long-term project financing on special terms will have to be offered.

Water Resource Department to notify and issue safety certification of places suitable for aqua tourism and issue guidelines for conducting water sports.

Identify and earmark Horse riding trails and camel safari paths in rural areas with help from equestrian association, local people and special operators in this field.

Identify locations and give necessary approvals for Hot Air ballooning, Para gliding, Rappelling etc. Local Horse shows and Camel livestock shows to be identified and listed in publicity materials.


Birding and Eco-Tourism
Develop special Birding circuits and walks with help from WWF volunteers. Forest Department to form a management and eco development committee in collaboration with NGOs and environmental specialists to identify, conserve and operate specific forest and wildlife areas for tourism. Identifying Eco-tourism sites, access routes by public transport with last mile connectivity must be put in place to reach the location.
Ensure other factors like wildlife sighting, heritage monuments in vicinity, availability of medical facility etc. Involvement and acceptance by local population are met when selecting sites. Identify and select Eco-tourism sites on the periphery of nature parks and sanctuaries.
Ensure involvement and support of local population.
Allow and permit only Zero pollution modes of transport in Ecological areas. Eco Certification Scheme for hotels, restaurants and tourism related establishments in these zones. Environmental awareness workshops in collaboration with Eco-tourism society of India can be conducted.
Development of Herbal Gardens in various locations in the state through PPP mode. Organize village home visits for interaction with local people and increase acceptance of eco-tourism.


Film shooting:
Film shooting in Rajasthan has been made easy by waiving application fees, security deposit and processing charges by amending Rajasthan Film Shooting Regulations, 2012 (As amended in 2016). List of film shooting locations, details of various film shoots, information of facilities, approved agents etc. should be made available online. Time bound “Single Window Clearance” to film makers should be provided. Film shooting permission may be deemed if not issued after 15 days of applying. Single window for fee collection and bringing uniformity in charges levied by different Departments. Nodal officer in DOT must be designated and suitably empowered for this purpose.

Health and Wellness:
Health and Medical tourism Medical facilities in some of the major cities in the State are fast catching up with national and international standards. Approved hospitals and doctors to be included in a list which should be uploaded on DOT website. Meeting of management of all major hospitals in the State with the DOT, tour operators, travel agents and officials to take steps for making Rajasthan attractive for medical tourism.
Identify new properties offering Wellness and rejuvenation programs. DOT to monitor these Centres and their activities to ensure facilities are functional and not just on paper. List out therapeutic centers which offer physiotherapy, Ayurveda, naturopathy, yoga and herbal treatment and sensitize them on handling tourists. Incentivize spiritual, wellness and rejuvenation centers.
Private players should be encouraged to provide services at international standards and a certification program installed. Special zones around nature parks and periphery of wildlife reserves (10 km radius) can be encouraged.


Heritage Villages:
Identifying heritage and handicraft rich village locations and artisan clusters in tribal and rural areas is required. Villages with Heritage hotels should be declared as Heritage villages and special incentives to be offered to villagers to encourage them to sustain, maintain and encourage the special attractiveness of the heritage destination.
Lesser known arts and crafts, traditional clothing and skills should be promoted along with Heritage walks, Rural cuisine and local Fairs and Festivals as part of Heritage Culture Tourism.
Marketing of their handicrafts products through NGOs promoting job creation at local level. Drainage system of heritage villages should be improved and sewage treatment plants must be installed.
IT department should identify and provide high speed WiFi at these selected villages. Financial incentives for home visits, interaction with Indian families at private homes.
Rural Home stays to be incentivized by reimbursement of partial cost of building the additional accommodation by villagers for tourists. Culinary programs to offer learning Indian cooking at private homes.
Incentives for these activities may be offered by the MSME Department.
NGOs to develop Craft Based Tourism for sustainable livelihoods. Financial support to private thematic museums which showcase diverse cultural heritage. Exclusive local souvenir shops located in private homes to be encouraged to sell local handicrafts exclusively.
Self-help groups and NGOs to develop Heritage Walk routes, identify local sites of religious, cultural and historic importance. Registered NGOs or private players organizing Heritage Walks on Government Property must be incentivized by revenue sharing of tickets. Training programs through NGOs for activities such as pottery making, animal care, black smithy, weaving, basket making, handicrafts and similar village based activities.
Persuade private trusts for maintaining surroundings of temples to attract tourists. Arrange Regional Air connectivity to small new airports. Visitors should be briefed on participation etiquette acceptable to local population. Every religious festival or celebration of a festival should be highlighted on websites.
Special arrangements for tourist enclosure at such festivals and safety to be made. Wedding Tourism is on the increase as big cities are getting polluted and prices of hotels and related arrangements are competitive in smaller destinations.
Use of vintage cars to take tourist on designated safe routes for a joy ride. Incentives must be given to Vintage Cars owners who provide their cars for such use.


MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions)
MICE operators are constantly looking at new destinations. With increased connectivity weekend tourism specially for people from high pollution cities will increase as Rajasthan offers pollution free locations. Identification of weekend circuits, educational circuits, business traveller weekend circuits in consultation with stakeholder groups.

Night Tourism Contrary to popular belief night tourism is not restricted to alcohol consumption and food. It is an extension of weekend tourism as busy people from polluted cities take a break in Rajasthan and make use of night time to enjoy full range of handicrafts show, dance and music festivals etc.
Night markets should be specially organized at all major tourist cities of Rajasthan. Local administration must give clearance for operating night markets on designated days. Ensure Police, Local Self Governments and other authorities cooperate and not hinder the night market and their organisers.
Religious festivals and special events: This is an extension of traditional tourism but has found high acceptability and interest from national and international tourists.


Destination Weddings
New wedding destinations to be identified and listed in all advertisement and promotional materials. Market list of wedding destinations to wedding planners and event management firms through private operators and professional marketing outfits. Nodal officer in DOT must be designated for one window clearance of permissions for destination weddings.

Elephant Villages
Elephant village in Jaipur and Sambhar can be developed as stand-alone tourist destinations. Develop special Birding circuits, within as well as outside of birding destinations and wildlife circuits with advice of WWF and similar agencies. Birding destinations and special zones must operate in conjunction with eco-tourism and weekend tourism activities. Improvements in infrastructure and Ecosystem: Development of wayside amenities, toilets, drinking water, cafeteria, souvenir shops etc.

Air Connectivity: To connect different cities in the State through private small aircrafts by increasing connectivity and lowering taxes and duties while underwriting seats to promote airline operations. To ensure last mile connectivity to tourist destinations, approach roads to Heritage Hotels must be maintained.


Skill development and Capacity building in the travel and tourism sector
Stakeholders such as hotel service providers, travel service enablers, tourism service providers, public agencies and state officials to be trained by identified trainers on tourist expectations, handling and business execution.
Developing curriculum for tourism services related courses and diploma certificates in tourism from accredited universities and institutions.
Start Chinese language courses for tour guides and service providers to tap the Chinese speaking market. Redefining of tourism syllabus in accordance with the potential areas of employment in tourism sector.


Government of Rajasthan may take note that the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked India 40th among 136 countries in 2017. The ranking was based on price competitiveness, availability of historic sites and strong cultural base.
India ranked low on the parameters of an enabling environment for tourism and how actively the Government promotes the sector. Safety and security was also a concern along with environment sustainability. Tourism is now a “global constant” as every country markets their destinations in an effort to increase tourist arrivals and the resulting benefits to society through job creation and economic improvement. There is no reason why India, particularly Rajasthan cannot do well on all parameters impacting tourism which is a proven job creator and economic growth engine.
April 2018

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