A Parliamentary panel rebuked tourism ministry, saying the country?s global tourism share of 0.6% is dismal considering the fact that it has a wide variety of tourist attractions. In the report tabled in Parliament, the Standing Committee on Tourism and Culture reprimanded the ministry for spending R194 crore till February 2012 on overseas promotion and that the expenditure was not commensurate with foreign tourist arrivals.
The Sitaram Yechury-led Committee pointed out that India had higher tourism potential as compared to popular destinations such as Thailand and Singapore but lack of facilities remains a hindrance. ?Even though India has vast variety of tourist attractions from ancient to modern, the global tourism share is less than 0.6% annually in terms of world arrivals. The Committee feels that this percentage is just unacceptable, and what we are aiming at is to achieve 1%during the 12th Plan,? it said. The Committee said that the government should relook into the necessity of various tourist promotion offices abroad and the efficacy of various officials under Overseas Promotion and Publicity.
Citing lack of cleanliness as a possible reason for lower foreign footfalls, the committee said that more funds should be allocated for maintenance and cleanliness of tourist attractions. ?The committee notes that only R10 crore have been made available under this head for Clean India campaign. The committee is of the view that substantial funds should be allocated under this head as foreign tourists will come only when our tourist places are clean and well maintained,? it said. Also the report said that the number of Indians going abroad for tourism has been on the rise with 17.4% in 2010 indicating that even Indians prefer foreign locales as compared to domestic destinations.