National Tourism Day: Embark on Sustainable Journeys and Create Timeless Memories!

Every year on January 25th, India observes National Tourism Day, a vibrant celebration of our nation's rich history, culture, and array of landscapes. The day is dedicated to expressing gratitude to the tourists who visit our country every year to experience its traditions, diverse cultures, and cuisines. The theme for National Tourism Day 2024 — ‘Sustainable Journeys, Timeless Memories’, aims to draw attention to the importance of responsible and mindful travel. The theme encourages tourists to embrace eco-friendly practices and reduce their carbon impact by highlighting the idea of responsible and attentive travel. It also reflects a global appeal for environmental consciousness and how important it is to have a positive influence on the environment and nearby populations.

National Tourism Day: Significance to the Nation

The inception of National Tourism Day dates to the Indian government's decision to designate January 25th as a special day dedicated to celebrating tourism. The Ministry of Tourism plays a pivotal role in orchestrating nationwide celebrations and collaborating with various groups to promote India as a premier travel destination. National Tourism Day underscores the crucial role tourism plays in India's economic growth and cultural promotion. It contributes 9.2% to the country's GDP and employs 8.1% of the total population.

‘In India, the travel and tourism sector is estimated to create 78 jobs per million rupees of investment, compared to 45 jobs in the manufacturing sector for similar investment’-?Ministry of Tourism .

The Ministry of Tourism plays an important role in the formation and application of various national policies and programs for the development and promotion of tourism in India. National Tourism Day highlights the critical role tourism plays in the economic and cultural development of the country, so much so that, research by the World Travel & Tourism Council in 2022 stated that the Travel and Tourism sectors will grow at a year-on-year growth of 20.7% and could create 2.4 million jobs every year.?

National Tourism Day: Sustainable Travel, Timeless Memories

With this year’s theme, ‘Sustainable travel, timeless memories’, the Indian tourism department has undertaken a mission of raising awareness towards responsible traveling.?

Here is why the Ministry of Tourism chose this year’s theme:

“Quicker access to distant locations, larger disposable incomes, and rising lifestyle aspirations now characterize the growing numbers of travelers. When the balance between natural processes is subjected to heavy pressure, the damage can create positions where weather patterns and lifestyles are thrown out of gear…The burning of fossil fuels and the ensuing greenhouse effect have led to global warming. At the same time, the use of non-biodegradable containers such as aerosols has dented the ozone shield, raising ultra-violet radiation”- Ministry of Tourism.

To fulfill this year’s goal of spreading awareness about sustainable travel, the Indian Ministry of Tourism has come up with a plan. Here are a few major points on which the 12th Five-Year Plan will focus:

• Using social media to run major campaigns and create awareness under the ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ initiative
• Important tourist destinations will be mapped and with the help of NGOs, schools, etc. sustained cleanliness drives will be organized
• Setting up of way-side amenities and biodegradable toilets will be given top priority

Tracing the inception of this idea in our country, the Indian Ministry of Tourism convened a nationwide workshop on?Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India (STCI), in July 2010. Based on the outcomes and recommendations of this workshop, a sub-committee chaired by the Joint Secretary (Tourism), Government of India, and comprising expert stakeholders was constituted in 2010 to define Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India and indicators.?

But the real question that arises here is

What is Sustainable Travel??

Going by the definition, the?UN World Tourism Organization ?defines sustainable travel as?“tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities”.

In simple terms, sustainable tourism means that while traveling, one must minimize all the negative and maximize the positive effects on the following:

1. Environment
2. Local Communities
3. Heritage?
4. Inclusive Economic Growth

With this, the government of India is focusing on increasing the economic, social, and environmental benefits to build a low-carbon, inclusive, and resilient tourism sector in the country.

National Tourism Day: Exploring Multiple Sectors of Tourism

Generally, our travel plans are in one of three forms- within a city, from one city to another, or from one country to another. How often do we realize which sector of tourism we explored while traveling??

We can broadly categorize the global tourism sector into the following sub-segments:

1- Eco-Tourism ?

2- Adventure Tourism

3- Medical Tourism

4-?Sports Tourism

5- Wellness Tourism

6-?Heritage Tourism

The list does not end here. As the world is broadening the tourism industry, now we can also?explore space ! Even India’s ISRO has come up with space tourism initiatives and by 2030, our nation will also be able to contribute to the space tourism industry.?

ISRO’s chairman S. Somnath said,?“Work is in progress around India’s very own space tourism module, which is both safe and reusable."?With a timeline set and work in full swing, ISRO aims to finish the space tourism module by 2030. The cost per person for traveling to outer space is estimated to be around INR 6 Crores.?

“The per ticket price is likely to be around Rs 6 crore. People who take the trip will also be able to call themselves astronauts,”?added ?Somnath.?

In Conclusion

The National Tourism Day 2024 holds a special significance in reflecting that travel can be sustainable. The government is taking multiple initiatives to help us reduce our carbon footprint during travel. The Ministry of Tourism will be running multiple social media campaigns to broadcast their theme of the year ‘sustainable travel, timeless memories’ and it will also promote local businesses.?

From eco-tourism to space tourism, every sector is focusing on sustainable growth. The ultimate goal of our government is to make Indian tourism a $1 Trillion industry while ensuring that the pressure is within the country’s carrying capacity.?