Economic Importance of Tourism in India
Tourism helps the visitors to get acquainted with the culture, customs and conventions, language and mode of living of the local people. Tourism thus liberalizes their mind and helps the people to strengthen the bonds of friendship, international understanding and co-operation.
The economic importance of tourism in India can by no means be underestimated. It benefits the people living in and around tourist centers financially. Fortunately for India, the Ministry of Tourism of the central Government and the departments of Tourism of the different State Governments are jointly trying to make all possible attempts to attract the tourists to this country.
The Government of India understands the importance of promoting Tourism. Tourist hotels, tourist lodges, dormitories and rest houses are made and maintained by various state Governments to look to the comforts of the tourists. The money spent by the Foreign tourists at hotels and other places helps the local economy.
The Natural Tourism Board and the Tourism Finance Corporation of India have been working in full swing to bring about the improvement of tourist centers in India. This will immensely economic benefits to the the regional people.
From time immemorial it is the inherent desire of man to see the unseen and to know the known. This is why we have seen from the pages of History that foreign travelers namely Megasthenes Fa-Hien, Hiuen-T-Sang etc. made their extensive tour on our country which was and has been rich in natural beauties, architectural relics, snow covered mountains that allure thousands and thousands of people to make their extensive tour to this country of India.
It is no doubt a fact, that in ancient time travelling was limited to some wealthy classes of people. But at present with the improvement of transport and communication system – tourism has been made very much attractive all over the country.
As regards tourism in our country there are innumerable lovely spots, historic sites and places from the Himalayas in the north to the Kanya Kumari in the south.
Apart from Amarnath, Kedarnath, Gangotri etc. Puri, Konark, Bhubaneswar, Digha, Bakkhali, Bakreswar, the Taj-Mahal of Agra, the Red Fort of Delhi, the cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora draw large crowds of tourists every year.
Tourism has now been accepted as an industry like all other industries that earn foreign money from the tour-loving people of the world.
