In its latest ‘India at 75’ document, Niti Aayog also urges government to build world class museums and develop beach destinations.
New Delhi: In a bid to increase tourism in India, the Niti Aayog has suggested doing away with differential pricing for entry tickets to monuments in the country.
According to the government think-tank, the differential pricing leads to a loss of a large segment of young foreign travellers.
“Reconsider differential pricing for heritage sites as the higher ticket price for non-Indians leads to losing out on a large segment of youth travelers,” the document said.
In its latest ‘India at 75’ document released Wednesday, the Niti Aayog suggested ways of increasing tourism in India. Apart from suggestions to have more foreign travellers, the think-tank also urged the government to build world-class museums and develop beach destinations.
Differential pricing
Entry ticket price for monuments in India are at least 10 times more for foreign tourists compared to Indians, reveals an analysis of ticket prices for some of the popular monuments.
The ticket price difference is the most at Taj Mahal. Entry price for foreign travellers visiting the Mughal-era monument in Agra is Rs 1,300 — over 26 times compared to that of Rs 50 for Indian tourists.
Among the other major monuments, Red Fort and Qutub Minar, both located in New Delhi, charge Rs 500 from foreigners and Rs 35 and Rs 30, respectively, from Indians.
Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort, two other major tourist destinations in Agra, charge Rs 550 from foreigners. Indian tourists need to pay Rs 20 and Rs 40, respectively.
Earnings from foreign tourists is a major source of revenue for the Union Ministry of Tourism. In 2017, India earned $27 billion from foreign tourist arrivals, Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam had said earlier this year.
Foreign tourist arrivals in India increased from 5.1 million in 2009 to 8.8 million in 2016, according to Niti Aayog.
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Other suggestions
The Niti Aayog has also suggested various other ways to improve tourism.
It said foreign tourists can be encouraged by Foreigner Regional Registration Offices (FRRO) helpdesks at major Indian airports. It also suggested the development of an online ticket distribution system for heritage sites, and wildlife areas with fixed time slots to visit.
“Buying tickets at reception centres should be streamlined to avoid long queues. A common pass should be created to visit multiple heritage sites,” said the document.
“Foreign exchange counters should be provided at each tourist site,” it added.
To shore up tourism numbers, the think-tank also suggested raising e-visa awareness globally and increasing its validity for up to 10 years.
It also suggested to develop at least five “Beach Destinations” as exclusive tourism zones, and at least five “World Class Museums”. Developing tourist circuits across India was also suggested.
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