India has huge potential in the domestic tourism segment but it needs to build requisite
infrastructure to tap the potential,
said Richard Quest, the host of the popular business television capsule “Quest Means Business” and “CNN Business Traveller”.
“According to World Travel and Tourism Council figures, the world annually sees 920 million international arrivals. India draws 5 million foreign tourists every year which is just .5 per cent of the total international foreign arrival figures. India is still a new country in terms of tourism and it requires to build
infrastructure like roads, airports and bridges. If the number of international arrivals suddenly trebled, will India be able to cope,” Quest, who is known for his incisive business insights, said Tuesday.
Quest is in India to present special business capsules on India and give viewers a feel of the country's “business environment”, exploring how “the money is being spent and the country's growing entrepreneurial spirit.”
His India capsules will focus on “Report on Powerhouse: Role of India”, “Recession and Growth”, the “Informal Economy or the Black Economy: People working and Not Paying Taxes” and “Bullock Economy of Southern India”.
“This morning, I was listening to the tourism secretary of India outlining the country's tourism strategy and plans to build infrastructure. He was brilliant. I also learned that the country has a shortage of 150,000 hotel beds. These are issues that need to the addressed. The country needs at least 7 to 9 per cent economic growth and create more jobs to ensure that inbound tourism becomes a sustainable and delightful experience,” Quest, who have visited India several times earlier, said.
Quest feels that “India is a delightfully wonderful country that is trying to get the results without infrastructure”.
“The country is so determined to be number one that it is building everything on shaky ground. The country is hosting the Commonwealth Games next year. Nothing will be more catastrophic than bring in people and give them a lousy experience. Usually, foreign tourists love India, but the general refrain after visiting India is – 'oh! what an experience!',” Quest said, alluding to “poor infrastructure”.
Lauding the Incredible India tourism promotion campaign, Quest said, “The Incredible India campaign is brilliant. It has managed to get rid of the
backpackers. For good or the bad, this year, next year and the year after, the country will see a spurt in high-spending tourists- who would perhaps come on Abercrombie & Kent holidays. But the back-packers and hippies will be back later. India needs to build a food chain like Thailand and Australia, where backpackers form the spine of local tourism. The ideal situation for India would be to have well-heeled back-packers- a younger lot – who would spend more money and visit luxury resorts across the country,” he said.
According to Quest, the best thing about India is that “the country has recognised tourism as an important part of the economy.
“The kind of work that India has done for the last eight years in the tourism sector should be kept up over the next 25 years,” he said.
However, India was not yet prepared for mass MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions)
tourism.
“I don't think any Indian city has the infrastructure to host 10,000 people for a conference like Las Vegas or ITB- Berlin. Indian should be looking at niche MICE or incentive tourism,” he said.
Quest felt that “despite the disparity in wealth distribution in the country, India will bounce back strongly from the recessionary trends as the government has started cutting back on its support packages”.
“The Indian economic miracle is phenomenal to watch but it will take some more time to get entrenched so that more people benefit from increased wealth- especially at the grassroots. One must not forget that 46 per cent of the country's population is still agriculture-based and are still pulling bullocks with little education available. That's a long way off from enjoying the benefits,” the veteran CNN business presenter said.