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Changed mindset can turn Visakhapatnam story around [Visakhapatnam] [Times of India](Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) VISAKHAPATNAM: A few months ago India was declared a polio-free country by WHO thanks to three factors: learning from failure; recognizing the importance of continuous monitoring and course correction; and a multi-agency approach that relied heavily on civil society participation. Are there any lessons we can learn and possibly emulate from this experience to improve our tourism promotion strategy? Given our USP of outstanding natural beauty coupled with a rich cultural and historical heritage, India ought to be a natural tourist destination. Yet, in 2013, it attracted only 6.5 million foreign tourists, four times less than the number of foreign tourists that visited Thailand and Malaysia the same year. So, where is our tourism promotion model going wrong? I believe we failed on two counts. First, in realising what 'sells' and second, in miscalculating who the target group ought to be. Our tourism pundits are convinced that advertising sells and marketing gimmicks improve a product, which is why they rely heavily on the 'Incredible India' campaign. Sadly, if there is a strong perception that the India experience is fraught with uncertainties and difficulties, no amount of expensive and award-winning advertising is likely to improve the quality of that experience. Let's face it: India's image is, at present, a seriously negative one, especially with regard to the safety and security of women, the lack of cleanliness and hygiene, and the 'we are like that only' attitude that has come to define much of what it means to be Indian. Second, the emphasis on international tourists is totally misplaced. In 2013, 260 million Indians traveled within the country, including for tourism purposes. With new airlines and better connectivity, upgrading of airports, and a rapidly growing middle class, domestic travelers will increase. If we compare this with 6.5 million foreign tourists, the emphasis clearly has to shift to the domestic traveler. The problem is that our tourism masters take the domestic traveler for granted as he is a captive customer for them. Today the domestic traveler has multiple choices and is being constantly wooed by countries across the globe. If our tourism pundits are not vigilant, this huge client base could well be lost. Coming to Vizag, could anyone credibly say that it is a world-class tourism destination? The beaches, which are the city's USP, are strewn with garbage and litter. Rather than cleaning up the beaches, expenditure is incurred in installing odd statues. It is the beach that will attract tourists, not the gorilla or the dragon. A rusting submarine and mediocre aquarium are touted as tourist spots. The heritage buildings are neither sign-posted nor conserved. The centuries old Buddhist structures are treated shabbily. The Dutch cemetery in Bheemli is a sad reflection of how we treat history. Most eating-places, especially in the railway station area, are unhygienic and filthy. Garbage piles high, open and clogged sewers throughout the city are a common sight and the stench is overpowering. Urban planning and waste management seems to be an unheard of concept. Tragically, Vizag is openly poisoned by apathy, indifference and mismanagement. Yet, Vizag could be one of the great cities of the world and a major tourist destination because it has two significant ingredients: exceptional natural beauty and a rich cultural and historical heritage. So, why does it fail? It fails for the same reasons that selling India as a tourist destination is failing: the experience is not pleasurable. We need to recognize that it is not possible to sell a bad experience through slick marketing and advertisement gimmickry. We need to change the way in which we think and approach the problem. This is not as impossible or difficult as it might sound but is based on a single premise: there must be a collective aspiration to turn things around. Let us not clean the beach or protect the turtles or save our heritage structures just because we believe in conservation but because it is good business. It will attract tourists. Tourists spend money, money circulates, jobs are created and growth takes place. Let GVMC not dispose the garbage regularly or unclog sewers or provide public urinals (and keep them clean) because it is their job to do so. Let them do it because it will attract more tourists. Believe me, if we change our mindset, the Vizag story will do a turnaround and the city could well become a role model. A shining example is the Uppalapadu bird sanctuary near Guntur, which is home to literally hundreds of migratory birds. The entire area is a gift from the villagers, who welcomed the migrating birds. They asked for nothing in return. Today, their generosity has resulted in the creation of a major tourist attraction and a photographer's delight. All it required was a change in mindset and it came from the humbling level of the village community. Tourism promotion can succeed only when we are able to market the India experience. This means recognizing that since all of us have a stake in the success of India, this needs to be a collective aspiration. Only then will we begin to create jobs, trigger a multiplier and shift perceptions. Are Vizagites listening? Or will Vizag continue to remain a forgotten city because 'we are like that only'? (The writer is a former Indian diplomat-turned-writer presently living in Visakhapatnam. He can be reached at [email protected]) (c) 2014 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited |