Prof K S Chandrasekar
Tourism industry being one of the largest industries in the globe with an economic contribution of over 9.9 trillion US dollars to gross domestic product (GDP) was, making up a 9.1 percent share of the total global GDP. International arrivals of tourists are forecasted to reach almost 2 billion by 2030 which shows a steady increase in the tourism and allied industries across the world. The global demand for tourism products and services made the stakeholders intensify their activities by introducing innovative tourism products to attract potential travellers from target markets. Gone are the days where a tourist reaches a city takes a hotel room and then does tourism activities. Now the tourists want something different and opt for staying in camps and other activities as can be seen from Airbnb records. As per Statista, the highest number of inbound visitors is as usual to France which in 2023 recorded a whopping 100 million tourists and their Museum in Paris attracted nearly 9 million tourists. This is followed by Spain (85.17 million), United States (66.48 million), Italy (57.25 million), Turkey (55.16 million), Mexico (41.95 million) and United Kingdom (37.22 million).
The share of revenues from domestic travel spending to the total tourism revenue was around 86 percent in India in 2023. The share of foreign visitor spending has increased to 14 percent in 2023. Look at the most popular country like Switzerland, it is not in the top list. Five out of the top ten destinations in the world are located in the European Union: France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. It may be noted that Europe alone attracts 50% of the total tourists from across the World as per UNWTO. Only 25% of the tourists are from within Europe. As per statistics it was estimated an increase of 3.5% tourists arrival growth in Europe alone. Some of the countries who depend more on tourism include countries like Croatia with contribution to GDP of about 25.8%, followed by Portugal, Greece and Spain. European Union contributed more than 20 million jobs in this sector alone. In 2023, domestic tourist arrivals in the European Union exceeded 600 million, the highest figure till date.
This is a great achievement as far as Tourism is concerned. Within Europe, tourists are now travelling within European Union only which indicates that countries like Croatia and Portugal are able to survive. Similarly European Union residents take more than a billion tourist visits in a year. Of the total, Italy, Spain, France and England account for 55% of European Union tourists arrivals. According to Forbes, the top 5 best destinations for 2019 are Budapest (Hungary), Braga (Portugal), Monte Isola (Italy), Metz (France) and Poznan (Poland). Considering the destinations, it can be seen that except Budapest, rest of the towns are not the most often talked about towns. Each of them has their own unique attractions. Braga, Metz and Monte Isola boast of cultural and pilgrimage tourism. Most of the international tourists go by the World Heritage list. It is important for India particularly J&K to initiate process to include many of the sites into the World Heritage list which can be a guide for the tourists to find avenues and meaningful spending of their time.
In December 2022, India recorded over 9.6 million foreign tourist arrivals into the country as against 3.1 million during the previous year. In 2022 alone over 1731 million domestic tourist visits were made across India. During 2024 alone, 9.5 million visitors worshipped at the Sree Matha Vaishno Devi temple. The starting of New Delhi-SMV Katra Vande Bharat has augmented visitors and with the introduction of SMV Katra- Srinagar Vande Bharat will only add more tourists across the state. The Chenab Bridge requires to be promoted as a tourist destination which will make more tourists travel to see the mammoth infrastructure. In fact the Vande Bharat in both directions needs to reduce the speed and also announce the arrival of the World’s Tallest Bridge. The Railways needs to ensure they reduce the speed of the trains in that sector for the tourists to enjoy the marvel. India is considered as the sacred country with temples, mosques and churches. Ancient temples have been the major attraction for people all over the world since the Hindu faith has major interest among the world population.
According to The Business Research Company, The religious tourism market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $174.98 billion in 2024 to $190.53 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.9%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to the rise of spiritual consumers, growing interest in religious heritage and pilgrimage sites, expansion of religious tourism infrastructure services, government initiatives, and promotional campaigns, and rising disposable income. After the war like situation which led to the untimely and brutal deaths of tourists, there is reluctance on the part of tourists to visit Jammu and Kashmir. This needs a change and message needs to be taken across the country to promote Jammu and Kashmir amongst the most visiting domestic states. Contingents as sent by the Central government to various countries can be sent by the state government. As per data available, the top ten most visited states by domestic tourists are Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. According to J&K Tourism, the total number of visitors to J &K for tourism purposes were 2,11,80,011 in 2023. The tenth placed Rajasthan had 2,26,70,021 whereas J&K during the period had 1,13,16,484. But looking at the 2023 figures, J&K has doubled its tally. The growth in tourism, coupled with interest for J&K as destinations in the tourist operators list, there will be more growth in J&K. The support extended by the Government of India in ensuring timely completion of the road, rail and the connectivity areas including security is commendable and the local leadership in planning for a Vikasit J&K.
As per the Ministry of Tourism data, by 2028, the sector is expected to generate $59 billion in revenue while also creating millions of jobs by 2030. I am sure now alternative tourism destinations need to be developed across the country to attract more foreign tourists. In Jammu region alone there are unexplored destinations that requires lot of promotion.
(Author is Vice Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu) |
