Amitabh Roy
Mumbai, NFAPost: At a time when citizens are ready to unfurl their hard earned money for family travel, there is enormous responsibility on government for developing tourism infrastructure with a focus on the safety of travellers.
With the rapid development of infrastructure via roads, railway, airports, highways and skyways, there is a renewed thrust on tourism industry supported by mobility advancement.
As Narendra Modi-led government is in a hurry for infrstructure development, the greater growth responsibility should be shared by builders, developers down to casual labourers. It is important to note that there is greater responsibilities thrust upon them to ensure safety and security at each step for others and themselves too.
One area that needs to be focused upon is the tourism thrust. Be it the statue of unity, the Kashi Vishwanath corridor or the beautification of various iconic locations across the country, these are bound to attract tourists from across the globe and the question is, are we prepared to handle the influx and ensure adequate safety and security to visitors?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had shared pictures from his Lakshadweep visit where he interacted with locals, enjoyed magnificent views from the pristine coastline and went snorkelling.
“I am still in awe of the stunning beauty of its (Lakshadweep) islands and the incredible warmth of its people”, he tweeted, sharing several pictures that went viral. At that time Lakshadweep remained the most searched keyword on the Google search engine.
Ayodhya’s transformation into a religious tourism hub, driven by the construction of the Ram temple, is reshaping Uttar Pradesh’s tourism landscape and economy. But here too there remains the underlying concern for the safety and security of people who will throng in greater numbers. One cannot discount the reality that the Ram Temple is also a terrorist target for obvious reasons.
Consider the statistics, the number of tourists coming to India and the tourism businesses are expected to expand thoroughly at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 per cent from 2022 to 2027, according to a recent Nangia Andersen report.
More than local tourists, foreign tourists need to be especially taken care of because any harm to them can be a PR disaster for the government and the country and in saying so I am not by any means, discounting the human element here.
More tourists mean more accommodation. New Hotels, resorts etc. are bound to come up and bookings in existing hotels would fill up in season. However, past experience has shown that despite NBC guidelines and fire safety protocols spelt out clearly and unambiguously, the practical picture is scary to say the least.
There have been many cases where after a fire or similar accident destroyed property and life in an establishment, hotel, warehouse or even private accommodation it was discovered that there were no safety tools and/or exit route paraphernalia in place and even if they were, they were not maintained or in working condition at the time of the incident.
In many cases the premises did not even possess bare basic fire safety clearances or licenses. This, unfortunately, is the soft underbelly of safety in our hotels and establishments segments cross country.
With tourism blooming, can we continue to be in denial and not insist on strict observance of comprehensive safety and exit route protocols 24×7? Not just for new upcoming construction but also for existing spaces? That is the question that needs answers urgently because we may already be too late.
