Tourism Planning in India

Tourism planning in India started quite late with the first tourism policy being announced by the Government of India in November, 1982 after tourism was recognized as an industry by the Planning Commission of India in June, 1982.

In July, 1986 the Planning Commission of India set up the National Committee on Tourism in order to formulate plans for this sector. The government's initiatives of incorporating a planned tourism sector in India went a long way in boosting Indian tourism.

In May, 1992 the National Action Plan for tourism was announced. The objectives of this landmark plan for tourism planning in India were:

To improve the economy category domestic tourism
To develop the tourist areas socially and economically
To preserve the environment and the national heritage
To encourage international tourism
To improve in world tourism India's share
To increase opportunities for employment in this sector

India tourism planning increased with the seventh five year plan India (1985-1989). The various polices advocated by the seventh plan for tourism planning in India are:

To promote aggressively domestic tourism
It laid stress on creating more beach resorts
To conduct conferences, trekking, conventions, and winter sports so that various options are available to the foreign tourists

These polices of the seventh five year plan gave a boost to the tourism planning India. To further encourage tourism planning in India, the eighth five year plan (1992- 1997) mentioned that the private sector should increase its participation in the sector. The various polices advocated by the eighth plan for tourism planning in India are:

To develop the tourists places
To develop winter sports, beach resort, and wildlife tourism
To restore the projects of national heritage
To provide in tourists centers economy class accommodation

Tourism planning in India has increased by leaps and bounds in the last few years and the government and Department of Tourism needs to make continuous efforts to ensure that tourism planning in India takes the tourism sector of the country to greater heights on a sustainable basis.

Last updated on 4/28/2011