The mission agenda will explore the possibilities of developing a Unified Tourism Interface for the country where a seamless exchange of information amongst multiple stakeholders of the eco-system will be possible
The draft National Digital Tourism Mission (NDTM) that has been compiled by the inter-ministerial task force has proposed the setting up of an autonomous body under the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to drive the Mission’s goals in the country.
On the same lines as the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), the NDTM will bridge the existing information gap among different stakeholders of the tourism ecosystem through a digital highway. The mission agenda will explore the possibilities of developing a Unified Tourism Interface for the country where a seamless exchange of information amongst multiple stakeholders of the eco-system will be possible.
The draft policy has some institutional mechanisms. These include the constitution of an autonomous body with a CEO and a governing board to handle the operational responsibilities of the mission. This institutional mechanism will enable NDTM to establish a broad platform for supporting and interfacing with existing institutions and adapting to the emerging needs of the ecosystem, the draft mentioned. The autonomous body will be under the control of the Ministry of Tourism, and the initial funding for the first five years will be provided by the central ministry. “Strategic control may remain with the government; diverse representation and participation will foster innovation and will help NDTM in staying ahead of the curve in many domains. Such involvement will augment the ecosystem approach of NDTM and will ensure wider adoption of NDTM, by the tourism ecosystem, which will include not only the Centre and State governments and their allied institutions but also other associations and private entities. It is also envisaged that the regulatory role should remain with MoT.”
Over the long term, digital transformation can unlock innovation and ensure the competitiveness of India’s tourism sector
While the initial funding will be done by the Ministry of Tourism, in the long term, a phased transition can be planned for NDTM to move to a self-sustainable, revenue generating model (not-for-profit model), said the draft policy. “A self-financing model may also drive service orientation for NDTM and provide incentives to continuously innovate and respond to the needs of beneficiaries. This should ideally be accomplished without compromising the essential defining trait of NDTM building blocks being available as a public good.”
The draft has chalked out a 3-year action plan and a high-level implementation plan to convert the blueprint into an actionable document. The NDTM programme sees opportunities for tourism enterprises to expand their market reach, increased growth, improved operational efficiencies, and sharpen their competitive edge. At a collective level, it will help to develop and customize product offerings, improve destination connectivity, generate data to track performance and help to improve destination management. Over the long term, digital transformation can unlock innovation and ensure the competitiveness of India’s tourism sector, the Mission agenda said.
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