Importance Of Tourism Traffic In India

SARGENT COMMITTEE

In India, the importance of tourism had been recognized even before Second World War. The intervention of the war however put a stop to the tourist promotion activities of the government. The first conscious and organized effort to promote tourism in India was made in the year 1945, when a committee was set up by the Govt of India under the chairmanship of Sir John Sargent, the then educational advisor to the Govt.of. India. The main objective of the committee was to survey the potentialities of developing tourist traffic in the country. Following were the terms of reference of the committee.
1. After reviewing the nature and extent of tourist (and pilgrim) traffic in India, both from within the country and from overseas

Strategies included several plans and programmes. Attention was drawn to the following measures.
1. Sustained development through appropriate planning.
2. Diversification of tourism product.
3. Expansion in the overseas market through effective marketing and promotional effort.
4. Remove all types of bottlenecks for easy functioning of the sector.
5. Action plan to develop special tourism areas as points of tourist destination.
6. The “Tourism Synergy Program “enlisting the activities and infrastructure component to be provided by various agencies and that required private and state government participation.
7. Importance was given to domestic tourism especially pilgrim tourism.
8. Accelerated growth of infrastructure.
9. Selected places were marked for special attention as tourists’ destination.
10. Institutes to be developed for creating more professionals, restructuring and strengthening the sector.
11. Intensive development of the sector to be undertaken to earn more foreign

The intervention of the war however put a stop to the tourist promotion activities of the government. The first conscious and organized effort to promote tourism in India was made in the year 1945, when a committee was set up by the Govt of India under the chairmanship of Sir John Sargent, the then educational advisor to the Govt.of. India. The main objective of the committee was to survey the potentialities of developing tourist traffic in the country. Following were the terms of reference of the committee.
1. After reviewing the nature and extent of tourist (and pilgrim) traffic in India, both from within the country and from overseas which existed before the war, to examine what scope there is for increasing such traffic or for developing other like traffic during the post-war period.
2. To suggest ways and means of creating both in India and overseas, the desire for touring, including the visits to holiday resorts, good climate stations, scenic places, places of pilgrimage, of historical and archaeological interests in India.
3. To suggest what facilities should be provided at places to be developed and advertised (a) Indian visitors and (b) Foreign visitors. The facilities to be considered should include means of travel from nearest railway station, residential accommodation, supply of literature and guide books, provision of authorized guides