TOURISM SECTOR IN INDIA WITH SPECIAL

REFERENCE TO CHHATTISGARH 
 INTRODUCTION
Tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. The dynamic growth of this
industry is evident from the fact that global tourism accounts for more than 10% of the global
GDP and 8% of world trade employment. The tourism sector generated ₹16.91 lakh crore
(US$240 billion) or 9.2% of India's GDP in 2018 and supported 42.673 million jobs, 8.1% of
its total employment. According to the same report, India’s travel and tourism sector ranks
7th in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country’s GDP. The sector is
predicted to grow at an annual rate of 6.9% to ₹32.05 lakh crore (US$460 billion) by 2028
(9.9% of GDP). The Ministry of Tourism designs national policies for the development and
promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and collaborates with other
stakeholders in the sector including various Central ministries/agencies, state governments,
union territories and private sector representatives. Concerted efforts are being made to
promote niche tourism products such as rural, cruise, medical and eco-tourism. The Ministry
of Tourism maintains the Incredible India campaign focused on promoting tourism in India. 

In the recent years India has become one of the world’s most promising tourist destinations
with a large number of visitors each year for its diverse climatic features and heritage
cultures. It has seen a dramatic growth of tourism over the last 25 years and it is one of the
most remarkable economic changes. India is the only country that offers different categories
of tourism year by year to visitors.  These categories range from scenic tourism, mountain
tourism, adventure tourism, beach tourism to rural tourism, medical and wellness tourism,
history tourism and religious tourism. The Indian government took efforts to encourage these
different kinds of tourism in India. It adopted different approaches to the promotion of
tourism in the country. India plans to modify the visa policy during 2014 by allowing visitors
from most countries to obtain an electronic visa online. The Indian government decided to
increase revenues from the tourism sector by projecting India as the  "ultimate tourist spot".
So there is no doubt that the development of tourism industry in India is very strong in the
next ten years.

In economic terms the travel and tourism industry is able to do three key things: 1 - to give
vigour to the economy, 2 - It offers people jobs, 3 - It stimulates development. It does this
through: 1 - creating employment direct and indirect, 2 - increasing foreign currency earning,
3 - Increasing visitor’s numbers and visitor spending within the local economy, 4 - Increasing
income for commercial operator, 5 - economic development and generation. Chhattisgarh is
the newly born state of India. It is the 10th largest state of the country with an area of
1,35,194 sq. km and ranked as the 16th most populated state of India. Raipur is the capital of
Chhattisgarh. Living in heart place of India the state is full of cultural and natural biodiversity
(forest, mineral, water bodies, ancient caves and herbs etc.). Chhattisgarh is called the Rice
Bowl of India and is covered with 44% area under forest, tribal dominant and has rich
potential to become one of the most promising tourist spots of the country. Although not in
the top 10 states of tourist attraction in India, it has emerged as a major destination for travel
and tourism industry of the nation. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chapter 1: India’s Tourism
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chapter 2: Chhattisgarh Tourism
 
Since its formation in 2000, the Chhattisgarh Government has put in a lot of effort into
expanding and promoting its tourism department as it is one of the largest sources for
generation of revenue. The state has many ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely
carved temples, Buddhist sites, palaces, waterfalls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus.
The green state of Chhattisgarh has almost half of its area under forests and is one of the
richest biodiversity areas in the country. 
 
Chhattisgarh Tourism Board
The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) was established in 2002 to promote the tourism
industry in the fledgling state of Chhattisgarh. The Tourism Board’s core responsibility is to
develop a favorable framework for private, public and community participation in sustainable
tourism development. CTB is the only Tourism Board in India. To enable Chhattisgarh to
develop its tourism of International Standard this Board was established. CTB was formed to
horness the true potential of Tourism, it is necessary to undertake large-scale development /
improvement of infrastructure and create a conducive investment climate. 
 
There are various objectives of Chhattisgarh Tourism Board. Some of them are as follows:-
1. To develop the infrastructure and provide the basic necessities of life.
2. To organise the different tourists centers through media and advertising in India as well as
abroad. 
3. To make the experience of Tourism Standard and Beauty more feasible. 
4. To protect the various cultural heritage and develop through media and advertisement. 
5. To encourage tourism for development of related centers. 
6. To encourage private sector to develop infrastructure. 
7. Also encourage individuals showing interest in tourism by providing incentives. 
8. With the object to make the information regarding tourism opportunities organize Foreign
Travel Agents, Tourism, Promotion Agency and Travel Writer Study Tours be managed. 
9. To conduct seminars, workshop, study classes tour exertion etc. To publish books,
magazines, periodicals, travel guides etc. and also encourage tourism through brochures and
advertisements. 
[Link] encourage tourism the natural, cultural, social and other festivals should be organized,
coordinated, managed and motivated. 
On its part, CTB seeks to carve a unique positioning for the State, so as to put it on the radar
screen of discerning travellers, who have seen it all, done it all, eschew run of the mill and
venture into the unknown in search of authenticity. The baseline, Full of Surprises,
summarizes it all. Little known facts - dense forests, superb infrastructure, abundant wildlife,
ancient tribal heritage and more - about this low-profile state are highlighted through all
possible fora – trade and road shows, print and electronic advertising, a new revamped
website, web campaign, letters to tour operators and travel agents, Tourism Information
centres across the country. The focus is on the rich eco-ethno experience that Chhattisgarh
offers. Some of the world’s largest Hotel Chains are in dialogue with CTB for setting up their
properties in the State. A nominal entrance fee is charged. This covers the cost of the guide
who takes you in and out of the Caves and also provides a torch. 
 
In the first phase, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board planned to reach out to 9 cities namely Delhi,
Bengaluru, Raipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Visakhapatnam, Nagpur and Hyderabad.
Through this initiative a total of 400 preferred travel agents for classroom training program
were shortlisted and given insights about the tourist destinations in the state for a better
understanding of the state ultimately resulting in better projection of state’s tourist attraction.
This program was scheduled to be conducted at the Kuoni Academy Centres, by the Kuoni
Academy faculty. Chhattisgarh Tourism Board has also taken initiatives in a big way on
social media to attract tourists to visit the state. As part of its digital strategy, CTB is marking
its presence on digital and several social media platforms to engage with tourists and
highlight the unexplored beauty and marvels of architecture of the state. 
 
 
 
 Classification of Tourism
The tourism of Chhattisgarh can be classified on the following categories:
Nature tourism: Chhattisgarh is full of natural scenario. The state has many caves and
waterfalls these are Jogimara caves, Kutumser caves, Chitrakote waterfall, Tirathgarh
Waterfall. Energy Park of Raipur is an educational park. 
 
Wildlife tourism: Chhattisgarh has a rich forest cover with beautiful and exotic species of
wildlife. The state has 3 national parks and 11 sanctuaries. These are Kanger Valley National
Park, Indravati National Park. Guru Ghasidas national park, Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary,
Udanti Sanctuary, Badalkhol Sanctuary, Barnawapara Sanctuary etc. 
 
Eco-tourism: Ecotourism involves travel to destination where Flora, Fauna and cultural
heritage are the primary attractions with minimum human intervention and generating rural
employment. Chhattisgarh government took initiative for making state as India’s Eco-Hub.
Kanker district has Nature camp. Bastar is famous for handicraft, Sericulture farm, and Silk
production Centre. Dantewada for herbal resort, eco resort and Snake Park. 
 
Rural tourism: Some tribal groups are still living in interior forests and they don’t like to
come to outer world and join modern civilization. The main tribal groups are Gonds Tribal,
Abujhmaria Tribal, Bison Horn Tribal, Muria and Halba Tribal. Kanker district of
Chhattisgarh has tribal tour Centre. 
 
Pilgrimage tourism: The various places for tourists to visit in Chhattisgarh for pilgrimage
are Bhoramdeo Temple, Kevalya Dham Jain Temple, Rajiv Lochan Mandir, Shadani Darbar,
Lakshman Temple, and Danteshwari Temple. 
 
Cultural tourism: The various fairs and festivals in Chhattisgarh are Baster Lokotsav and
Dussehra (span over 75 days), Koriya Mela, Teeja, Pola, Sirpur Mela, Champaran Mela,
Goncha Festival and others tribal festivals. 
 
Educational tourism: Chhattisgarh state after its establishment has also emerged as an
educational hub of the country. IIT, IIIT, IIM, AIMS, NIT, Hidayatullah National Law
University are providing world class education. Indira Kala Sangit University is Asia’s
biggest music university. 
Adventure tourism: As a kind of tourism, in some places of Chhattisgarh like Sarguja and
Bastar region the tourist may go for trekking in various rugged mountains of this area and
also do mountaineering, Paragliding Water Sports, International Cricket and Hockey stadium
& tournaments are also help to improve tourism.
 
 
Chhattisgarh State Tourism Policy
The state of Chhattisgarh has developed a draft Tourism Policy and wish to actively promote
Eco and Ethnic Tourism in the state. The state tourism department has also identified a few
themes under which tourism will be promoted. Briefly, the objectives of this policy are:-
 
 Promote economically, ecologically and culturally sustainable tourism in the state. 
 Strengthen the quality and attractiveness of tourism and travel experience of visitors. 
 Preserve, enrich, and showcase the rich and diverse cultural and natural heritage. 
 Increasing the contribution of tourism to the socio-economic development of inter-
related sectors.
 Encourage and promote private sector initiatives in developing tourism-related
infrastructure like hotel, motel, guide, private agency etc. 
 Transform the role of Govt. to that of facilitator. 
 Promote new concepts in tourism such as Time-share, Ecotourism, village tourism,
adventure tourism and tribal tourism etc. 
 Respect the intellectual integrity and the rights of the local communities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chapter 3: Trends in Tourist Arrival

Table 1: Tourist arrivals in Chhattisgarh

Year Domestic Foreign

2016 16534471 9220

2017 17350030 6701

2018 19329501 14399

According to the latest report1 by the Tourism Ministry of India, Chhattisgarh is currently at
16th rank in the country with respect to Domestic Tourist Visits (DTV) and 29 th rank in
respect to Foreign Tourist Visits (FTV), amongst all the States and Union Territories
combined.

1
Domestic (DTV) And Foreign Tourist Visits (FTV) During 2017-2018, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
Chapter 4: Current Status of Institutional Framework for
Chhattisgarh Tourism
 
• State Tourism Department- The state Tourism Department is part of Chhattisgarh
government. It is headed by the state tourism minister. Secretary (Tourism) is the direct
executive head of State Tourism department and reports to the state tourism minister. The
state tourism department is the policy framing and planning body and has supervisory role for
tourism development in the state through executing organisations like Directorate of Tourism
and Tourism Development board (TDB). • Survey of Tour operators/Travel agents:- Travel
agents and tour operators can play a major role in promoting tourism in the state. The survey
team interacted with three categories of tour operators/ Travel agents i.e. those working at the
Regional, Interstate and the International level. • Tour operators/ Travel agents Association:-
There is no formal association of Tour operators and Travel agents existing at present in
Chhattisgarh state. However, the team interacted with one of the leading Tour operators, who
has been informally organizing tour operators. It was mentioned that there is a definite need
for a proper air link to aid Tourism development, especially to attract Foreign Tourist traffic.
It was learnt that between 1987 and 1994, there was substantial foreign tourist traffic in the
Bastar region, but subsequently, due to poor infrastructure facilities and inadequate
promotion, tourist traffic has declined substantially. It was learnt that foreign tourists come to
Chhattisgarh, mainly for business tours, and a part of them travel in the state for Leisure or as
Eco tourists or to observe ethnic lifestyle. • The Regional and Interstate Tour Operators/
Travel Agents:- Most of the travel/ tour operators are concentrated in the capital city i.e.
Raipur. The interactions have revealed that there are about 250 travel agents (providing taxi
services) and 6 air-ticketing agents within Raipur. However, they are not approved by the
Department of Tourism, Government of Chhattisgarh. • International Tour Operators:- The
International tour operators are conducting tours of foreigners in Chhattisgarh mainly with
the assistance of the royal families (prominently Kawardha and Kanker palace owners). The
tourists are treated as special guests with royal fervour here. Special sightseeing trips are
organised with their help. • Range of services:- The Regional and Interstate Tour Operators/
Travel Agents are undertaking limited activities within the state. Their range of services
primarily includes Air/ Railway Ticket booking, provision of transport facilities and Hotel
Booking. There are not many Tour Operators offering package tour services within the state.
Presently, a few international tour operators are organising tours in Chhattisgarh. However,
they are offering several services like hotel booking, package tours, transport facility, tour
guides, event management, etc. • Composition of Tourist Traffic:- As per the interactions,
maximum traffic coming to the state constitutes those coming for business purpose, followed
by religious/ cultural tourists and leisure tourists. There is yet another group, which
constitutes a smaller percentage and comprises of people coming for special purpose like
research, photography etc. Majority of the people utilising the service of the regional and the
interstate tour operators/ travel agents are domestic business tourist. However, the services of
international tour operators are mainly being utilised by foreign tourists. • Origin of Tourist
Traffic:- As per the interaction, most of the domestic tourists are from the state itself.
However, Interstate tourists utilising the services of the tour operators are mainly from
Gujarat and West Bengal. Majority of the foreign tourists are coming from Europe, America
and East Asia. Interactions with the tour operators have revealed that the Americans, British,
Spanish, Germans and Israelis have been a part of the tours organised in the state. • Preferred
Tourist Circuits:- Interstate religious tours are being organised for places like Champaran
from Gujarat and Jagdalpur from West Bengal via Orissa or Andhra Pradesh. There are
special Tribal Tour packages available from Mumbai covering tribal areas of Andhra
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa.  
 
Preferred Tourist Destinations:- The people from East Asia are coming to visit the Buddhist
sites, which are in places like north Bastar- Bandopal, Sirpur and Dongargarh. The
interactions revealed that the popular destinations amongst the interstate tourists based on the
purpose of visit/ theme is: Purpose/ theme Destination Pilgrimage Dongargarh, Nagpura,
Champaran Nature sightseeing & Adventure Kanger Valley, Chitrakote, Barnawapara,
Achanakmar Sanctuary Tribal art & culture Bastar Area Handicraft Kumharpara, Kondagaon
Heritage/ Palaces Bhoramdeo, Kanker, Kawardha Business Raipur, Bilaspur, Champa,
Korba, Raigarh, Ambikapur, Jagdalpur • Foreign Tourist Circuits:- As per the interaction
with the international tour operators, the main attraction for the foreign tourists in the state is
the unique tribal art and culture. Most of these foreign tours are focussed on visits to tribal
villages and handicraft centres (eg. Kumharpara). These tours are mainly being organised
with the assistance of the royal families of Chhattisgarh. Day trips are organised from
Kawardha, Kanker, Jagdalpur to the nearby tourist attractions
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tourist Information Center and its initiatives
State Tourism Policy
TRENDS IN TOURIST ARRIVALS
FINANCING OF TOURISM PROJECTS

With millions of foreigners visiting the country annually, the government expanded the
Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to citizens of over 40 nationalities in 2014, including
for those eligible for a visa on arrival, after having allowed only a handful of countries to get
those authorizations before. The scheme was extended to 161 countries and renamed e-visas
in 2017, making the entry process even easier for even more tourists. 
 

 India’s Tourism is ranked at 7th position in terms of its contribution to World

GDP in World Travel and Tourism Council’s report in 2017.
 India as of now in 2018 has 37 sites listed under ‘World Heritage List’, 6 th
highest (29 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed site) in the world. Victorian
Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai were the latest to be added in
2018.
  Growth of 2.3% in the number of Domestic Tourist Visits in 2017 as compared
to 2016.
 Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism registered a growth of
11.9% during the period January-October 2018 as compared to the same
period of the previous year.

Importance of ‘Tourism’ in India

 Generates Income and Employment: In 2017, Tourism Industry accounted

for 8% of the total employment. An increase has been witnessed in the
sale of handlooms, handicrafts etc.
 Service Sector: It gives a push to service sector. A large number of
businesses engaged in the service sector such as airlines, hotel, surface
transportation, etc. grows with the growth of tourism industry.
 Foreign Travelers help India in getting Foreign Exchange.
 Tourism helps in preservation of National Heritage and Environment by
bringing in focus the importance of sites and need to preserve them.
 Renewal of Cultural Pride: Tourist spots being appreciated globally instills a
sense of pride among Indian residents gets reinforced.
 Infrastructural Development: Now-a-days, it is ensured that Travelers do
not face any problem; multiple use infrastructures are getting developed at
several tourist places. Uttarakhand’s plan to start mobile caravans is a
latest example.
 It helps in bringing India on global map of tourism, earning appreciation,
recognition and initiates cultural exchange.
 Tourism as a form of soft power, helps in promoting cultural diplomacy,
people to people connect and thereby promotes friendship and cooperation
between India and other countries.

Challenges to the Growth of Tourism in India

 Tourists in India still face many infrastructure related problems like

inadequate roads, water, sewer, hotels and telecommunications etc.
 Safety and security of tourists, especially of the foreign tourists, is a major
hurdle to the tourism development. Attacks on foreign nationals raise
questions about India’s ability to welcome tourists from far away countries.
Among the 130 countries surveyed, India was placed at the 114th
position in terms of safety and security aspect in the WEF Index 2017.
 Lack of skilled manpower is another challenge to Tourism Industry in India.
 Absence of basic amenities like drinking water, well maintained toilets, first
aid, cafeteria etc. at tourist places.
 Seasonality in Tourism, with the busy season being limited to six months
from October to March and heavy rush in November and December.
 Non-acceptance of International Cards at small outlets.
Recent Steps

 Indian Government has taken following steps to overcome the challenges:

 Swadesh Darshan Scheme: Under it, the Ministry of Tourism provides
Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State Governments/Union Territory
Administrations for infrastructure development of 13 identified theme
based circuits.
o 13 Circuits are: North-East India Circuit, Buddhist Circuit,
Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit,
Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual
Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.
 Integrated development of identified pilgrimage destinations (includes
employment generation) has been undertaken under the ‘National Mission
on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation
Drive’ (PRASHAD) Scheme.
 "Adopt a Heritage Project" plans to entrust heritage sites/monuments and
other tourist sites to private sector companies, public sector companies and
individuals for the development of various tourist amenities.
 Celebration of Paryatan Parv from 16th to 27th September, 2018, to
encourage Indians to visit tourist destination in India.
 Incredible India Website to promote to and engage with travellers.
 Online Learning Management System for creating skilled manpower to
work as tourist facilitators.

Way Forward

 Faster development of all sort of infrastructure (physical, social and

digital) is a need of the hour.
 Safety of tourists is a priority. An official guide system can be launched for
tourists.
 Indian Residents should be motivated to treat tourists well so that tourists
don’t face any type of fraud.
 Promotion of other forms of Tourism like Medical Tourism, Adventure
Tourism etc. to solve the problem of seasonality. Off-season concession
is another solution.
 India’s size and massive natural, geographic, cultural and artistic diversity
offers enormous opportunities. The Indian Tourism industry should play on
that.
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