One session at the Luxury League was titled “Cultural Tourism and Branding of a Nation”. The discussion explored what India, as a nation is presenting to the world, especially through its cultural tourism.
The speakers who participated in this session were Vijai Vardhan, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Haryana; Laila Tyabji, social worker, designer, writer and craft activist; and Ulugbek Kasimkhodjaev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the Development of Tourism.
All the participants talked about the significance of local communities, traditions, folklores, arts, crafts and values in developing tourism.
Rajasthan, Agra and Kerala receive most numbers of tourists in India. Vijai Vardhan has been working to popularise Haryana as a destination for tourists. According to Vardhan, this has been a challenging endeavour. He pointed out that branding India internally is of importance that must receive immediate attention.
Vardhan, who has been involved in Delhi’s cultural fair at Surajkund, said, “Culture and tourism are not getting much response. People attend the fair in huge numbers, but there is lack of local participation. They need to embrace this culture. The movement of tourists from one state to another depends on ethos. It has to do with what’s in our minds. With everything being done to promote tourism, we are still lacking somewhere.”
According to Vardhan, children in India are not being raised with proper knowledge and understanding of our heritage. He said, “A nation must have a sense of history. The new generation must take interest and initative.” He further highlighted the plight of artisans who are struggling to make ends meet. Making tourism commercially viable is an aspect he has been working on. He said, “The challenge has been to revive the vanquishing crafts. These artists do not have a market. There is a huge pressure on us for commercialisation. A lot needs to done in terms of engaging with people and giving craftspeople sustenance.”
Laila Tyabji has been working for the revival of traditional arts and crafts of India for years. She said, “We need to pass the information about our multifaceted and extraordinary country to our children and to the world. How will people get to the fascinating history if we don’t put it out there? There is a way of making things fun and interesting. Stories need to be told. We need to work for crafts, music and other tangible things.”
Branding is very important. Tyabji pointed out that people have started travelling more because of Incredible India campaign. She said, “Brand value and communication has been remarkable. But we need to bring attention to artisans, not just picturesque objects. They are part of the India narrative. We have enormous sense of community pride in all this diversity. We need to show that to the world.”
The speakers discussed the role of youth in promoting cultural tourism. Getting young and creative people is the way ahead. New means of communication and media should work for the survival of Indian arts and crafts.
Ulugbek Kasimkhodjaev spoke about the success and cooperation between the tourism sectors of India and Uzbekistan. He emphasised how Uzbekistan has branded itself on historical tourism, just like India. He said, “Tourists visit Uzbekistan for the monuments and mosques. But now they also come to experience culture and lifestyle. The tourism is growing steadily by 30% and there’s good opportunity.