Standardize Products to Boost Wellness Tourism: Kumari Selja


The Minister for Tourism and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja has said that her Ministry is working on a incentive/subsidy scheme to encourage setting up of budget accommodation through adoption of PPP mode. She said, this will address the core issue of non availability of land and high establishment const. Kumari Selja said, we have been requesting the state governments to create land banks. She said, we have also been advocating the enhancement of floor area ratio (FAR) for hotels and encouraging mixed usage of plot area. She was addressing the Annual Convention of Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India in Agra today.

She said, while India has positioned itself as a chosen destination for the ultra top end luxury travelers, there still exists a gap between supply and demand and to bridge this gap more hotel rooms are needed. She said, we need to address the mid-segment and budget travelers also. The Minister said, the main issue which needs to be tackled is the shortage of safe, secure and clean accommodation all over the country, especially in the budget category. She said, the exorbitant cost of land forces hotels to operate under higher Star categories in order to make them commercially viable.

Referring to the theme of the convention “Health and Wellness” she said, tourism potential of our wellness systems, developed indigenously through centuries of wisdom, is yet to be fully tapped. She said, we have to be position the Indian way of life as integral and inclusive of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha Naturopathy and spiritual philosophy. We have to position this product as a comprehensive approach for body, mind and soul. She said, tourists world over revere the Indian system of wellness as among the most pristine and authentic forms. They yearn for opportunities to experience these systems. She said, we need to work towards tapping this huge market. She said, we need to identify and network the existing wellness experiences, develop wellness tourism standards and work towards collaborative marketing. The Minister said, to make our facilities internationally competitive, we have to standardize the products.