NITI Aayog Drafts Action Plan to Set up Tourism Varsity

In order to put tourism at the core of Indian economy, NITI Aayog has proposed setting up a university to impart specialised courses along with constitution of a “National Museum Authority” to centralize administration of museums across the country run by various departments and ministries.

The NITI Aayog has also proposed that “five tourism zones around beaches” should be developed under the public-private partnership on the lines of Bali, Sentosa and Antalaya. “Globally, beach holidays have grown up by 18 per cent annually in the last five years and remain an important segment of the leisure travel. The government and private sector should develop five exclusive tourism zones around beaches in the country. In drawing these zones, we should draw upon examples that have successfully developed tourism around beaches such as Bali, Sentosa and Antalaya,” the draft three action plan report.

The think-tank panel has also proposed that a dedicated university should be set up for leadership in the tourism sector. “A specialised university, which will not only regulate taught courses but also become the fulcrum of professional education, research and advocacy, will create managers and entrepreneurs in tourism,” the draft action plan report adds.

“There is no overarching body for their management, funding, development and maintenance. There is already a national expert committee on museums. However, an overarching authority with a broader mandate is needed to sufficiently address the issues faced by them. Such an authority should be constituted within three years,” stated the draft action plan report.

The NITI Aayog has also called upon the Centre to develop the identified islands for tourism by 2020. “The Central government has already expressed the intention to develop 10 islands to the global standards in attracting tourists. Of these, five have been identified in Lakshadweep and another five in the Andaman Islands. We should begin working with investors to develop them by 2020 to the global standards,” added the draft action plan note.

The NITI Aayog has also called for replication of “Brand USA campaign” in marketing tourism. “Under the Brand USA $10 is deducted from the e-Visa for marketing purposes of tourism, which should also be replicated in the country,” the action plan proposed.

The action plan also proposed developing five national (tourism) circuits, which can meet the international standards. “Even though funds have been committee there are no truly international destinations and therefore developing few destinations from “entry to exit” will help us achieve quality of infrastructure. These circuits should be developed by 2020,” adds the action plan.