India has been seeing a sharp rise in tourism over the years and there have been countless acres of forest that have gone under the axe to print matter to the same effect. I may quote some of the statistics that have been mentioned with regards to this industry.
In 2006 there were as many as 4 million visitors who visited India who spent a total of $ 8.9 billion. The tourism industry has been showing a growth rate of 20%, year on year. I am surprised that they managed to spend so much, considering the fact that we are horrible at providing opportunities to spend. The tourism industry in India is touted to grow at a rate of 30% till 2010 and with the commonwealth games coming to India and the possibility of even the olympics coming to India, we really need to look at the opportunities that visitors have to spend in India.
Let us shift to Paris...
As soon as you enter the lobby of a hotel you find a huge array of pamphlets mentioning some 25 different site seeing trips that one can take to move around the city. On all of these combined one can spend a cool 1000 Euros per head. Then you decide to head out to see the city... There are a huge array of souvenir stores that offer a range of products, no no! they are not traditional craftswork which will find no use but to sit in my showcase once I return back to my country. Instead it is the mundane, day to day stuff, that one can use regularly. Imagine the number of times an American is going to go back to America and wear a 'Sherwani'. Not only are these day to day products, that one can use easily upon returning; but they also have Paris pasted prominently over it (In fact I still believe that baring the ubër fashion stores, its impossible to find a T-Shirt in Paris without Paris written on it). Good Advertising! Don't you think? Why do you think that the city gets the most number of visitors, its because all of these people carry all of this stuff back home and do free publicity for the city.
Is it so difficult for someone in India to do the same in every major city of the country. Can this country that is known for all of the hospitality that it can offer to its guests; not offer them descent avenues to spend their cash at. I think there is a desperate need for such services in this country. Here is a situation where we need to decide to push our own country to the world, and offer our best to the world.
Will someone take the lead?
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