India Inbound Tourism Boost Plan: From Safety Task Forces to Smog Solutions
Skift Take
India's inbound tourism numbers have been under pressure, prompting the government to tackle several challenges head-on, starting with improving the safety of foreign tourists and addressing the persistent air pollution problem.
A parliamentary panel has recommended setting up an "Inter-Ministerial Women's Tourism Safety Task Force" as India struggles with inbound tourism numbers. The panel said the task force would develop safety protocols, monitoring mechanism, and emergency response systems designed for female tourists.
The committee also called for allocation of funds for implementing technology-led safety measures, including GPS-enabled transportation monitoring, CCTV surveillance at tourist hotspots, and a centralized tourism safety application with real-time assistance features.
Safety of women travelers in India is a major concern among tourists.
Battling Pollution: Air pollution, especially in Delhi is another major issue in India. Delhi and neighboring regions generally grapple with severe air pollution in winter months, which coincide with the peak season for inbound tourists to arrive in the country. Tour cancellations, shorter itineraries, and reduced bookings have affected inbound tour operators also causing a lot of negative publicity for the destination in international media.
Indian tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has highlighted the steps taken by the government to improve the situation of pollution in Delhi-
