writes Dr.Manzoor Ahmad Yetoo
Tourism in India has been on rise and is expected to emerge as the most important revenue earner for India by 2013. Heritage tourism is emerging as one of the niche segments of tourism in India and worldwide. It is often offered in combination with other elements like religion, wildlife, eco-tourism, and even adventure. Cultural heritage tourism or heritage tourism is a niche element of the overall tourism spectrum. It is meant to gain an appreciation of the past or something we have got in legacy. It is one of the oldest forms of travel, and involves heritages of all kinds – colonial heritage, urban renewal, religious tourism, genealogy, industrial heritage, and ethnicity. Thus a visit to Cellular Jail in Port Blair, or to Haldighati and Ellora Caves constitute heritage tourism in the Indian context.
Heritage tourism is difficult to segregate from other elements of tourism. Tourists interested in other areas, like adventure, religion and leisure also visit different Indian heritage sites; with monuments like Taj Mahal, Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort, Sarnath, Kaziranja, Tirupati, Varanasi, Rameshwaram, and Ajanta being quite popular. UNESCO has identified 27 heritage sites in India as world heritage, and has collaborated with state government authorities to develop several themed itineraries, like linking Buddhist holy places, legends of Shiva, yoga, and ayurvedic healing.
India needs quite a lot of effort and professional touch to keep its heritage sites intact. While government authorities have been mainly responsible for this, heritage management in India has started seeing the participation of big players like Tata, Oberoi, Indian Oil Corporation, and others, on the lines of European countries and the US. Heritage hotels, another color in the spectrum of heritage tourism, are quite popular among tourists, with celebrities like Amitabh Bachchhan and Richard Gere also voicing their preference for them. Barring most of major hotel players like Taj, Oberoi, and ITC, there are several heritage hotels owned by the descendants of former rulers and aristocrats.
Not everything is, however, honky dory in the field of heritage tourism. Services at heritage sites are nowhere compared to those at similar sites in countries like Italy, UK, China and Spain. Foreign tourists often feel cheated as they pay several times more entrance fees compared to Indians. They often feel disappointed by the shabby treatment they receive at the hands of the vendors, whose only agenda seems to be to extract the maximum possible money from the tourists. Tourists are also miffed at the lower levels of services offered by several heritage hotels, tour operators, transporters and others.
Jammu &Kashmir can be an important hub for Heritage tourism.We have enormous potential from religious places to remote and untamed beautiful country side villages/destinations.Worth to mention is the South Kashmir which hosts beautiful destinations like Wasernag at KUND,Kaparan ,Matigawaran,Duksum, Cynthen top,Margan top,Mehmood abaad at Dooru,historical Spring of VERINAG,Dusu,Kokernag and its outskirts,wilderness of Liseer village and its out skirts Aherbal water fall area,remote area of Brinal lamer,Manzagam and other places like hurpora, peer ki gali,remote areas of kollar phalgam area etc.On north we have Lolab Valley,Bungus valley, Dodpatri area and other areas of Budgam Districts.Similarly our holy places of booth Hindu as well as Muslim faith can be brought under heritage tourism. A comprehensive plan is need of an hour to harness this enormous tourist potential and regulating the tourist flow and effective management of the services provided by the local Govt.Hence we must be very much scientific in the management and development of new heritage sites and all must be ensured sustainably by an effective use of professionals like environmentalists, occupational safety experts and other well trained tourism management professionals.
(The author is an expert in environment ,project & waste Management, occupational safety& health & pollution control &empanelled expert in Indo European Chamber and commerce &Industry) (You may reach him at manzooryetoo@yahoo.co.in)