'Taking India To New Heights In Tourism'

The newly-elected chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), India Initiative, Ashwini Kakkar, speaks to Savio Rodrigues about his plans to take Indian tourism to the next level of growth …

What is the focus of the WTTC India Initiative?

As an organisation WTTC's mission is to raise awareness of the full economic impact of the world's largest generator of revenue and employment - Travel and Tourism. Governments are encouraged to unlock the industry's potential by adopting the council's policy framework for sustainable tourism development

The purpose of this WTTC India Initiative is to unite key players from the Indian tourism industry to speak with a single global voice. The primary focus of the initiative is to be involved in projects that facilitate the development of the country's tourism industry. We aim at bringing key concerns that form a stumbling block to the growth of the tourism sector to the attention of senior officials in the government and in international institutions. WTTC India Initiative's activities are built around a policy framework that enables us to attract high level of political and media attention.

What goals has India initiative set itself to achieve and how do you plan to take them forward?

According to WTTC research, the Travel and Tourism economy in India generates employment for 17.7 million people, i.e. around 5.6 per cent of total employment in the year 2000. WTTC forecasts that by the year 2010, global travel and tourism will generate 24.8 million jobs, accounting for 6.5 per cent of total employment worldwide. If by the year 2010, Indian industry were to generate the same level of employment as the world average, then a further 25 million jobs would be created in India over the next decade. Given India's outstanding wealth of natural reserves and rich cultural heritage, its thriving business community and high levels of entrepreneurship, India can seize this opportunity. However, the opportunity can only be grasped if a fundamentally new approach to tourism development is adopted. A start has been made and a number of major steps have already been taken, which requires forward thinking and co-operation of both the public and private sectors in India. These important steps include:

• A new aviation policy, helping to attract private investment into this sector.
• Leasing and privatisation of international airports.
• Privatisation of national carriers - Indian Airlines and Air India.
• Lowering the price of aviation turbine fuel for turbo props.
• The proposed dismantling of the Foreign Investment Board, which will lead to a more investment-friendly climate.
• Liberalisation of Indian skies.
• Tourism Awareness Programme

And as an organisation, we are proud that we are making progress in achieving some of these objectives.

What is WTTC India Initiative doing to facilitate dialogue between government officials and industry professionals?

The tourism product in India is mostly controlled by state governments. This covers all aspects of tourism such as local infrastructure, transport systems, municipal taxation, sanitation, hygiene, leisure and recreation, law and order, the preservation of local monuments, and the general well-being of tourists. Recognising that these crucial issues fall within the domain of the states, WTTC has determined that when promoting tourism, it is as important to interact actively with state authorities as it is to interact with the Indian government, in order to create much closer co-operation between the public and private sectors. Therefore, we work towards bringing together all sectors of the travel and tourism industry on a national, regional and local level. We co-ordinate with major regional and local trade associations to assist them in their work, to intensify our own efforts and to avoid duplication of initiatives. This Initiative, with government participation, will foster an economically successful and sustainable industry, which will benefit India as a whole.