o tourism, please! We are Indians, says VHP By Deepshikha Ghosh, Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, Aug 26 (IANS) An influential Hindu group has declared a virtual war on the country's tourism industry, saying the government should only encourage tourists wanting to visit holy places. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contends that New Delhi should focus on wooing tourists to its religious centres rather than promote luxury or adventure tourism. "India is primarily home to many holy places. Tourism for luxury and self-indulgence should not be encouraged. The government should concentrate on awakening religious sentiments," VHP leader Giriraj Kishore told IANS. He felt that tourism evoked images of "eat, drink and be merry" and suggested renaming India's ministry of tourism and culture as the ministry of pilgrimage. "India should be a place where people give up bad habits, so pilgrimage is a more appropriate term." The multi-million-dollar tourism industry is shocked. Though the tourism ministry says there is no official move to rename the department, the industry is gearing up to fight the VHP proposal fearing it will only put India behind by centuries and hamper the growth of the sector. "Religious tourism is undoubtedly a very important aspect of the sector and a money-spinner, but that does not justify renaming the ministry or creating an entire ministry," said Subhash Goyal, chairman of an industry panel on tourism. "It is a stupid and absurd proposal," Goyal told IANS. Added Maharaj Singh Wahi, chairman of the Indian Association of Tour Operators: "This kind of proposal shows poor application of the brain." Of the 226 million domestic tourists India sees annually, some 180 million are reported to be pilgrims, according to one assessment. India draws just about 2.5 million tourists from abroad every year. Indian tourism has suffered seriously in the wake of the worst religious violence in a decade that engulfed Gujarat in February-May and the earlier tensions along the India-Pakistan border following a spurt in terrorism. Goyal said: "Religious tourism is only one aspect of the sector. There is nothing wrong in creating a separate department under the tourism ministry." He pointed out that Saudi Arabia, which had a separate ministry of Haj Affairs, also had a ministry of tourism. "But that is because Haj is the main tourist attraction there." Wahi said the VHP demand was more political than practical. "The ministry is already working to promote religious tourism in a big way - how does a name matter?" The government has launched costly initiatives to enhance pilgrim hotspots such as Vaishno Devi, Tirupathi and Puri. It has also injected millions into the development of the Buddhist circuit. Wahi said India had tremendous untapped potential for adventure and eco tourism. "We have countless hill stations, showcases of ancient architecture and scenic spots which, if not tapped, will amount to criminal wastage of resources." He said the private tourism sector was focusing on 12 eastern states including those in the northeast, for eco tourism. "This is the time to globalise, not regress backwards to ancient ages by forming a ministry of pilgrimage." --Indo-Asian News Service =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
