India’s tourist arrivals remain low in number compared to smaller nations – but Shankersinh Vaghela, chairman of the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and veteran politician, sees great possibilities for Indian sites and sights. Speaking with Amin Ali, Vaghela discussed solving bottlenecks, controlling public behaviour at tourist spots – and how his ITDC stint is no relaxing holiday:
Intensive politics to ITDC – is this just a political appointment?
I would like to categorically state that the chairmanship of ITDC is no official holiday. I didn’t see it as a mere pastime. Even when i was minister of textiles in UPA-I, i interacted with weavers from all over India, suggesting ways to turn our weavers into global brands. We have some of the most talented craftsmen in the world. We need to promote their craft on an international scale, attracting people to come witness how these artisans keep centuries-old practices alive.
Heading ITDC now, will you promote Indian traditions globally?
India boasts one of the greatest ancient civilisations – we have a glorious past that’s not been fully marketed yet. We have architectural marvels at par with Greek and Egyptian ancient constructions. We have a wonder to marvel at in every city – tourists should be educated about great institutes like Nalanda, introduced to sites like Jhulta Minar in Ahmedabad whose minarets vibrate.
We are a treasure trove of destinations – all it needs is making these places attractive to a tourist.
What are some concrete steps towards that?
Our spirituality is a major attraction globally – but we need to immediately develop decent three- to five-star accommodation for tourists at popular religious places like Amarnath, Shirdi, Varanasi and Haridwar…we also need quality motels on roads connecting these places to major cities.
If we’re able to provide the right infrastructure, within a short time these destinations will be major global attractions.
Currently, even some of the smaller East Asian nations fare better in tourism than us – can we catch up?
I feel we should highlight and promote what we have rather than ape those places. I’d rather focus on the backwaters in Kerala, the beauty of the Andamans, marvellous palaces in Rajasthan and safaris in our country…
Tourism also needs a joint effort by various agencies to really thrive. We need better coordination between vital players like the railways, airlines and state governments to make a destination accessible and appealing. I plan to involve all agencies to make sure our destinations are preferred over others.
At the moment, many tourist spots showcase neglect, further marred by unruly crowd behaviour. Can you correct this?
We need infrastructure for that. We need to have dustbins to prevent people from littering. We need to have clean urinals so that people don’t dirty the premises. Clean drinking water and dedicated eating spaces are needed, so sites are not reduced to trash cans.
We cannot expect people to just follow rules and not provide them facilities. These facilities make or break a destination.
Finally, concerns have been raised by international tourists, especially women, about safety in India – will these be addressed?
We are doing very aggressive campaigning to educate people in that regard. We’re roping in prominent social figures to spread awareness – actor Aamir Khan’s campaign educating people to respect foreign tourists sent a strong message. Today, one doesn’t have touts in large numbers running after foreigners.
Both at the Centre and state level, tourism boards are trying their best to turn their properties into safe, visitor-friendly destinations, not just by policing them but also educating people through innovative campaigns.
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