Let Them In

No doubt our ‘Incredible India' is a marvelous gift of nature. We have gorgeous Northeast states, majestic Himalayan regions, beautiful Keralan backwaters and breathtaking deserts of Rajasthan. Tourism is a major industry adding to Indian economy. It contributes a lot to the national income and gross development of the country. In many countries like Malaysia, Maldives and Switzerland; tourism is the biggest source of income. For a country like India, a single foreigner tourist is worth many Indian ones. Apart from getting foreign exchange; tourists from different countries learn our culture, tradition and history. But India does not hold a positive reputation in the international community especially in terms of safety. Another reason that decreases the number of foreigners travelling to our nation is the lack of basic infrastructure like information centres. It is difficult for them to get help or guidance when they don't understand the local language. Each and every Indian does not know either Hindi or English. Thus the ample number of languages in India sometimes poses a problem. Public transports are not well equipped. They are unhygienic and uncomfortable. Moreover taxi drivers do not get tired of overcharging their customers. They consider Whites to be rich and end up charging them double or even triple the amount. Dirty and overcrowded lanes leave a bad impression, all collectively making them feel uncomfortable in our country. India does not lack sights or spots that can make it a great tourist destination, but rather it lacks facilities to turn it into one. First of all, India's image needs to projected as a safe tourist destination in front of the whole world. Keeping a check on the maintenance of badly kept monuments and tardy security is a must. Policy changes should be made in order to increase international tourist flow in our country. Information centres, clean public washrooms, easy transportation and guides must be present at every tourist spot. Taxi drivers must realize their responsibility and stop overcharging their customers. Hindi must be taught to everyone so that whole India can speak at least one language in common. The number of public transports must be increased so that there is no problem of seating space. Well equipped hotels and lodges must be made available where there is a tourist spot. New tourist destinations should be identified and and development of the same should be done for offering innovative tourism experiences. Our tourism industry should be promoted and advertised at international platforms. Citizens should also realise their duties as Indians. We should maintain sanitation at public places and transports. One should neither himself not let anyone else urinate in open. Safe drinking water should be available at such places. Let's open our hands and welcome our guests. Let's stick to our tradition of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava'. Let's make them feel home on our land. Let them feel secure. Let them feel easy. Let them in..