It has also suggested promoting night tourism and providing better wayside facilities for travellers to to give a boost to the sector
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has recommended measures to boost tourism in the country, including development of last mile connectivity, regularizing the adventure tour markets and introduction of a competitive tourism ranking system among cities, reported PTI. It has also suggested promoting night tourism and providing better wayside facilities for travellers to to give a boost to the sector.
The panel in its report also recommended that the Ministry of Tourism should “exercise greater fiscal prudence” and ensure that unspent budgetary provisions are surrendered timely in future.
“The Committee also takes a serious note of keeping the unspent provision of INR 1,056.97 crore till the close of financial year 2021-22 despite reduction in the budgetary outlay at the RE 2021-22 stage in disregard of the provisions of General Financial Rules,” said the report.
The report noted that there is a substantial under-utilisation of the budgeted funds during financial year 2021-22. “Against the revised estimates RE 2021-22 allocation of INR 969.80 crore, only 47.70 per cent amounting to INR 462.55 crore could be spent till January 31. “It means that the remaining expenditure would have to be squeezed in the last two months of FY 2021-22.
The report noted that savings of INR 1056.97 crore vis-a-vis the budget estimates (BE) 2021-22 allocation “not only betrays fiscal indiscipline by way of under-utilisation of the earmarked funds which will have an adverse bearing on infrastructure development-oriented activities of the Ministry, but is also indicative of shortcomings in budgetary planning and monitoring of the budgeted funds”.
“The Committee observes that a resource constrained country like India cannot afford to keep a vast chunk of its resources locked up and surrendered towards the end of the financial year. The committee, therefore, recommends that realistic projection of fund requirements should be given utmost priority at the highest level of the Ministry,” the report pointed out.
The committee also pointed out that last mile connectivity to several destinations is a deterrent to promotion of tourism. “Since last mile connectivity is a key driver for promotion of tourism, the Committee recommends that while preparing Master Plan for connectivity to tourist destinations, last mile connectivity should mandatorily be included in the concept and the Detailed Project Report,” it said.
The committee recommended that on the lines of World Tourism Rankings and “Swachh Survekshan”, a competitive Tourism Ranking System should be introduced amongst Indian cities which would provide the impetus for them to create, maintain and promote more and more tourist spots within their cities.
A rapidly emerging trend in global tourism scenario is ‘night tourism’, the panel noted and said the Ministry should focus on this domain and make more sites available for visit during nights, allow extended hours, provide exhaustive information on websites and social media pages and aggressively market the concept.
“Though India has opened some of its monuments for public to visit at night, it is still in a very nascent stage. Sufficient information is also not available regarding the participating sites, their timings and other such details. This will open a new dimension of looking at our existing tourism heritage and invite repeat visitors,” it said.
The committee also pointed out that last mile connectivity to several destinations is a deterrent to promotion of tourism. “Since last mile connectivity is a key driver for promotion of tourism, the Committee recommends that while preparing Master Plan for connectivity to tourist destinations, last mile connectivity should mandatorily be included in the concept and the Detailed Project Report,” it said.
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