The Union Minister for Tourism, Mr Subodh Kant Sahai, has exhorted the states to evolve tourism development plans, including weekend packages, to hold back domestic visitors travelling to their respective states for pilgrimage, leisure or business.

Inaugurating Ficci's Domestic Tourism Conclave in New Delhi on Wednesday, Mr Sahai said: “Enough is enough. It is about time the states realised the potential of domestic tourism for employment and income generation. It is time to bring back tourism development in the forefront of the national agenda.”

Outlining his vision for raising the growth target for domestic tourism from 9 per cent to 12 per cent in the next five years, the minister observed that those in the tourism trade must aim to double their businesses in the next five years through provision of better facilities for tourists and by giving them evening entertainment and a glimpse of India’s spiritual and cultural life.

The minister said that the Centre was working on the concept of tourism parks to attract and hold back travelers so that they spend and contribute to the economy of the region.

Earlier, the minister released the Ficci-Yes Bank Study on ‘Domestic Tourism – the Bastion of Future Tourism’.

In his address, Mr Digambar Kamat, Chief Minister of Goa, underlined the need for taking airlines on board to ensure that travel costs come down and domestic travel swells. The domestic tourist, she said, spent more than foreign visitors in a state like Goa. “While the domestic travelers stayed in star hotels and participated in festivities, sports and held wedding functions, the foreign travelers ate in shacks.” It was this spending power of the domestic traveler that needs to be harnessed, he pointed out.

Mr R. H. Khwaja, Secretary Tourism, noted that safe, honourable and sustainable tourism was the bedrock of domestic tourism. Social responsibility towards the development of tourism, he said, was imperative. In this context, he called for a common vision and mission amongst all the stakeholders.
 
Dr. Jyotsna Suri, chairperson, Ficci Tourism Committee and CMD, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, announced that Ficci would organise the Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar in August every year in New Delhi in order to give a boost to domestic tourism.

She said that Ficci along with industry was working on developing an ‘Incredible India Card’ that would enable domestic travelers to use it for hassle-free travel to all destinations in the country.