Tourism ministers of various G20 countries have been spending both work and play time in India for the last five-six months. India’s G20 presidency has a special focus on tourism, which leans towards improving its business potential while enhancing its sustainability credentials. This combination may seem contradictory to the uninitiated, but India is not alone in pursuing the development of responsible tourism as a viable business proposition. But there is a bigger problem: the more tourism is treated as just a business, the more it moves away from its original purpose of cultural exchange and education.
A sample press release from the working group meetings underscores the importance of the main objective:
The delegates visited the Harappan site of Dholavira, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the delegates were briefed about effective and efficient water management…The delegates were also introduced to the local Kutchi art and traditions. They enthusiastically joined the folk artistes in a dance performance during a cultural evening.
—Press release, G20 Tourism First Working Group Meeting, 10 February 2023.
The delegates also experienced a ‘Shikara’ ride on the pristine ‘Dal’ lake – a traditional gondola type light rowing boat and enjoyed watching the sunset. The delegates also got an opportunity to experience the local attractions like Nishad Udyan, Polo Market, Pari Mahal.
—Press release, G20 Tourism 3rd Working Group Meeting, 26 May 2023.
The Tourism Working Group was initiated during the 2020 Saudi Arabia G20 Presidency. One of the immediate objectives was to help ease travel restrictions related to COVID; A broader objective was also to develop the tourism sector as a major business platform for economic growth.
Since then, the Tourism Working Group has turned its attention to making the industry more resilient, especially in the face of the post-pandemic impacts, progressing against the Agenda 2030 goals to make the tourism business more climate-resilient. While measuring
Many G20 members, especially members of the European Union (EU) that are part of the Schengen arrangement (which excludes Ireland, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania) are showing inordinate delays in granting tourist visas, apathy that almost amounts to discrimination. is on the limit. In recent years the growing antipathy towards economic and political expatriates in many of these countries has apparently extended to Indian tourists who wish to spend their holidays and return home. And then, given the huge tourist influx in some European countries, there is a suspicion that this bias may be limited to tourists from select geographic regions.
Conde Nast Traveler story (t.ly/fQ55K) reveals Indians with second highest number of Schengen visa denials in the world during 2022 (Algeria tops the list), Indians estimated to pay lying 87 crore rupees of visa were not received.
Travel agents in India claim this is unprecedented, indicating deep European retribution for India’s geopolitical stance on the Ukraine conflict. Even though it may sound strange, there are many tourists who tell horror stories. Families who bought airline tickets to European destinations and booked hotels in February or March for European holidays in June were unable to get visa slots before October. In some cases, European embassies granted visas a few days after scheduled flights, despite applicants having submitted all relevant data.
Ironically, this is happening to Indian tourists while India is hosting the G20 Tourism Ministerial Conference.
What makes all this serious is that European countries are adopting it selectively, even in violation of EU tourism policies. India and Europe are working hard in their own ways not only to strengthen the global multilateral architecture, but also to work together on security, trade and other strategic imperatives. The fact that the two sides are currently negotiating a trade deal makes the apparent rejection of Indian tourists even more ambiguous.
However, at its core, all this can perhaps be explained by how tourism is being defined by both the EU and India by a strictly commercial focus.
It cannot be denied that tourism has a role to play in employment generation, economic development and poverty alleviation. But this should not detract from its core purpose of promoting intercultural exchange – as evidenced by the activities of the G20 delegates described in the press release cited above – improving understanding between diverse communities separated by geography. as a reliable means of
It is the responsibility of the G20 Chair of India to convey to the partners that tourism can become a business only when tourists travel. Publishing outcome documents is all very well, but in the face of differing ground realities, the G20 risks being treated like another useless talking shop, especially climate talks that fail to even move the needle. Has been Part. Now is the time to refocus on tourists.
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UPDATE: July 16, 2023, 02:14 PM IST