Poor airport infrastructure hampering tourism growth: report

Even as inbound international arrivals peaked at 4.4 million in 2006, India's tourism growth was hampered by inadequate airport infrastructure and the lack of adequate hotel rooms, says a new report, recommending a seven-point plan to boost the sector.
The other areas that need reform are the country's airline policy, taxation regime, the bureaucratic set-up, human resource development in the hospitality sector, and the visa regime, says the 'Total Tourism India' report prepared by credit card major Visa and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
The report says that domestic travel "has been quietly booming over the past 15 years, as India's states increasingly awaken to home-grown tourism's potential to stimulate economic growth and boost employment".
Domestic trips reached an all-time high of 430 million in 2006, up 13 percent from 2005. The average annual growth rate has been more than 10 percent since 2000, with the boom in low cost carriers bringing travel within the price range of millions of more households across the subcontinent.
The report also shows that international outbound trips by resident Indians peaked at around 8.3 million in 2006.
"But India needs to accelerate efforts to improve and expand its infrastructure, particularly airports and roads, broaden its product range, especially in accommodation, and increase its competitiveness," PATA president and CEO Peter de Jong said at the launch.
23/02/07 IANS/Mangalorean.com

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Categories: airports feb 2007, General Aviation feb 2007