India takes pride in showcasing the world its rich culture & heritage; eras over eras have influenced, moulded and facelifted the rich heritage of which we all are part of. Distinctive edifices, perennial culture and the determination to keep this incredibility have preserved for us an era no short of marvels. Many of the palaces and monuments are enlisted in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites while there are many which lie quiet and quaint without making any stories.
India’s unique cultural heritage lies in its cities, towns and settlements with millennium-old crafts, rituals and festivals. Rapid urbanization, along with the influence of globalization, has in recent times accelerated the pace of change in all aspects of Indian life and particularly in urban settlements. India’s cities and towns find themselves under pressure to accommodate a rapidly growing population, with all the demands on technology and public services and utilities this entails.
The realm of culture among other forms of heritage in India has amplified and grown manifold over time. The cultural bank overwhelmed with creative aspects like art, music, dance and literature has been offering bonus pride to the country and countrymen. Right from the regional festivities to the national celebrations, culture seems to show off its mighty influence all through. On the other hand, the tinges of crafts, religion, customs, traditions, philosophy, history, health, medicine, travel, cuisine, monuments, literature, painting and languages can by no means be neglected as they make for vital features that make the cultural heritage of India rich.
The Indian tourism market is fast-growing with immense potential due to the country’s rich cultural and geographical diversity. It is one of the major sectors contributing to the GDP of the country and is driven by steady economic growth. The travel services and hotel segments are expected to drive the growth of the industry in 2019, growing at a rate of 12% and 13.2% respectively.
India has been promoting tourism under the Incredible India 2.0 campaign and has been conducting roadshows and other marketing campaigns, while the states have also been promoting tourism state-wise under separate campaigns similar to the Incredible India campaign. Also, due to the continuous growth in the number of tourists from both domestic and international markets and increasing demand for unique experiences by different tourist segments, especially millennial tourists, the industry is seeing a shift from destination-based tourism to experience-based tourism and development of niche tourism products and services for tourists.
To enhance India’s stature as a tourism and cultural destination, the Union Budget 2020 proposed a slew of measures including the development of iconic tourist sites, setting up new museums and focus on better infrastructure for connectivity.
For this, the Government has allocated ₹2,500 crores for FY 2020-21 to the Ministry of Tourism and ₹3,150 crores to the Ministry of Culture.
While the race of urbanization is at its peak there are a set of people who have kept the heritage intact and promoting it by converting their ancestral homes into homestays & hotels. They are true brand ambassadors of Indian culture, heritage, art & cuisine to India & world. They are the ones practising “Atithi Devo Bhavah” in true sense. Some of them have a formal Hospitality Schooling background while others have learnt it by doing it or say it’s there flowing in the blood.
We at The Hospitality Daily believe in contributing our bit to promote Hospitality and Tourism. This series of Interview of Indian Heritage Homeowners is an attempt to bring the real Heritage Ambassadors to the forefront and help them get the much-needed publicity and appreciation of the wonderful work they have been doing so far.
