National Tourism Policy 2022

National Tourism Policy 2022: To drive economic growth and job creation

Recently, Parliamentary committees have concluded that the National Tourism Policy 2022 will not effectively promote the tourism industry. Drafting of a National Tourism Policy alone will not lead to the growth of tourism industry in India.

Issues raised by Committee

• Granting Industry Status to Hospitality Projects
  • Only eight states have granted industry status to hospitality projects.
• Adding Tourism to the Concurrent List
  • The committee inquired about the Tourism Ministry’s actions on its previous recommendation to include tourism in the concurrent list.
• Sanctioned Projects
  • Progress on several projects sanctioned prior to 2017-18 has been below expectations, which will put extra financial burden and resource crunch.

Recommendations given by Committee

• Expedite the establishment of a National Tourism Council on line of GST Council to provide recommendations on various issues hindering growth of sector.
• The Ministry of Tourism should develop a plan to include the Hospitality Sector in state and central industrial policies, so that Tourism sector is granted Industry Status by all States.
• Including tourism in the concurrent list to address challenges facing the pandemic-impacted tourism sector.

About National Tourism Policy 2022

National Tourism Policy is drafted by Ministry of Tourism for sustainable and responsible growth of tourism sector in the country. Its aim is to enhance the infrastructure and support systems for tourism sector, assist the tourism industry, and encourage the growth of various tourism sub-sectors.

Key Points of the Draft National Tourism Policy 2022

Industry status to Tourism: The policy proposes granting industry status and infrastructure status to the tourism and hotel sectors, respectively, in order to attract investment.

Appropriate Taxation and Subsidy Policies: Promote sustainable tourism through appropriate tax and subsidy policies, and discourage unsustainable tourism.

Priority to Five key areas over the next decade: Digital tourism, green tourism, supporting tourism-related MSMEs, etc.

Aim to offer framework conditions: The draft policy outlines a framework to support the tourism sector, particularly in response to the pandemic, with the goal of enhancing the tourists experience for both foreign and local visitors

Source: The Hindu