Need to develop unexplored tourist destinations, Assam on list: Report

New Delhi: There is a need to develop and highlight  the unexplored tourist destinations in India to increase tourist inflow which has grown 7 per cent year-on-year  from 2010 to 2014, a FICCI-EY report has said.
“While the government has been focusing on more famous tourist destinations such as those in Rajasthan, Kerala and Gujarat, there are many other unique destinations with significant tourism potential, which, if developed and positioned intelligently, can add to the growth of tourism sector in India,” the report revealed in its recent study.
Unexplored destinations normally  ranging from the Majuli Islands, the largest river islands in the Indian sub-continent, in Assam to Auroville – a spiritual centre near Pondicherry and the desert camps of Rajasthan, must be highlighted, it added.
The other nine identified potential tourist  destinations which have great potential to be developed as great tourist destinations are Chitrakoot, Diu, Dudhwa National  Park, Elephanta Caves, Hampi Lahaul & Spiti, Rann of Kutch, Sundarbans Delta and Gurez, the report revealed.
Suggesting various key policy interventions, it said there must be a dedicated state tourism policy along with a provision of basic tourist facilities, preservation of heritage and nature of the locations, organisation of marquee events and various festivals, development of theme-based activities and use of social media to promote the potential destinations.
Indian tourism and hospitality industry has emerged  as the largest service sector in India.
India sees the 11th largest tourist inflow in the Asia-Pacific region and 42nd  largest on a worldwide basis.
The sector provided employment to 36.7 million people in 2014 and contributed Rs 7.64 trillion to the country’s GDP, the report said. (PTI)