Tourism,today,plays an important role in the economy of most countries of the word and India is no exception.India was a late starter in this field and the Indian government did not realise its economic significance till the seventies,when the late prime minister Indira Gandhi,set up a separate ministry of Tourism and civil Aviation,under a cabinet ministry Dr,Karan Singh.tourism now has been given the status of an 'export industry'by the minister of tourism and the planning commission.this means that tourism -related activities can claim incentives and concessions given to other export industries,but the message does not seem to have percolate to all the wings of state and central government.for instance ,manufacturing industries pay a concessional rate of electricity,but hotels are charged a very high rate for the power consumed by them. there are other examples of double standards applied by the government to the tourism industry -presumably because tourism has connotations of a 'luxury' which is frowned upon in the current political environment, Indians have to pay 10% 'expenditure tax' to the central government,if they stay and eat in hotels charging Rs 5000 or more for a room per night.it was Rs1,500 per night till the finance minister raised it to Rs1,900in 2005-6 and late to Rs2500.
In India,tourism has created direct and indirect employees foe some seventeen million people.it generation earning for hoteliers,travel agency,taxi,driver,craftsmen.souvenir-seller,transports,airline,tourist guides and shoemakers.some Rs1000 crore worth of handicrafts are sold every year to tourist,taking the benefit of tourism to the village where our craftsmen live and work.
in certain part of India,tourism is the only industry Kashmir ,for instance and how Himachal Pradesh and Goa .or,consider Khajuraho,tourism has transformed this once impoverished,obscure and backward village into a thriving tourist centre.by the year 2010 India can earn Rs 60,000 crore from tourism.according to the government of India's estimates in the year it earned Rs 14,4150 crore.
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