NEW DELHI: A parliamentary committee has recommended that families willing to provide homestay facilities and homemade food to tourists should be identified and trained by the tourism ministry to promote local cuisine among foreign travellers and at the international level.
The panel is "sanguine" that such a novel step will unlock job opportunities for Indian families and generate resources for huge revenue potential in the tourism sector, the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture said in its report.
"The committee is also of the opinion that local families willing to provide homemade food and homestay facilities in their abodes to the tourists should be identified and given training by the ministry in handling the process to promote local Indian cuisine among foreign tourists and at international level," the report, which was tabled in Rajya Sabha on Monday, said.
It observed that infrastructure for tourism includes basic components such as roads, railways, airports, water, electricity and hotels, the report said.
The committee recommends that inter-connectivity of roads, ports, airports, railways and waterways should be part of the infrastructure planning process while preparing the detailed appraisal report of any tourism project, it said.
"Service roads and linkage of nearby places should also be included. Transport infrastructure plays a vital role in connecting origin and destination locations while ensuring safe, comfortable and efficient transportation to tourists," the panel recommended.
While evaluating travel experiences, transport is one of the main factors which has a great bearing on trip satisfaction and the committee, therefore, recommends that multi-modal transport should be envisaged while preparing the detailed project report for facilitating tourism in the country, it said.
"This will not only facilitate free flowing traffic but also serve to make tourist destinations more attractive and accessible," it added.
The committee also observed that souvenir shops selling miniatures of historical monuments are very popular among tourists in foreign countries.
However, these types of souvenir shops are very few in India and lack in marketing skills, it said.
The parliamentary panel said it would, therefore, recommend that the government to take initiatives to help establish genuine outlets for the sale of miniature replicas of historical monuments near such monuments.
The committee also said that it is of the opinion that development of 'haats' should be facilitated along with branding them as the go-to places on festive occasions.
This will also lengthen the tourist seasons, extend peak seasons or introduce a new season into a community, it said.
"The committee believes that such fairs and festivals not only serve to attract tourists but also contribute in maintaining regional/ community identity," the report said.
Noting that the tourism and hospitality industry is one of the driving forces in the global economy and has wider environmental and social impacts, the report said no process has been initiated to prepare a detailed project report for development of iconic tourist sites.
"The Committee recommends the ministry to prepare a master plan for timely implementation of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in order to increase tourist footfall by providing tourists with the richness and diversity of iconic destinations across the country," it said.