One Billion Tourists
One Billion Opportunities...
“The world is a book,
and those who do not travel read only a page.”
Quote- St Augustine
We travel to unravel
our innermost self, we travel to explore the unexplored path, we travel to
relish the beauty of nature, we travel, not to escape life, but for life to
escape us! Travelling is no longer an activity undertaken out of compulsion;
instead it is becoming a way of life. There are innumerable blogs, articles and
journals penned down either out of the overwhelming experiences of travelling
or the inspiration that the journey etches upon one’s thoughts. In the words of
Ibn Batuta, ‘Travelling- It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a story teller.’
It is certainly an appropriate quote, which objectifies a modern day traveller
and their way of thinking.
‘One Billion Tourists
One Billion Opportunities’, the theme chosen for this years’ World Tourism Day,
throws light upon the lucrative sector of tourism through its prowess and global
competency with other sectors. The opportunities for those with a passion for
travel and tourism are practically endless – tourism is not only a huge growth
market it’s a worldwide phenomenon. It is no longer a single industry alone but
a repository that archives several other trade and commerce within its sphere.
The travel and the tourism industry is believed to be one of the world’s
largest service industry globally, in terms of gross revenue and foreign
exchange earnings and is also one of the largest employment generators in the
world.
Every time we travel,
for whatever reason, we indulge into a global movement; a movement that has the
power to drive an all-encompassing development, create jobs and construct the
sustainable societies we want for our future; an evolution that builds mutual
understanding and can help us safeguard our shared natural and cultural
heritage. The number of international tourist arrivals grew by 4% in the first
half of 2015 according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.
Destinations worldwide received some 538 million international tourists between
January and June 2015, an increase of 21 million compared to the same period of
2014.
With increasing number
of tourists’ footfalls on a global platform, it thus sets forth abounding opportunities
in the tourism sector, waiting to be exploited by its work force. If we talk
about India, which is a harbour in itself for tourism activities, the
probability of administering enriching experiences to the tourists is in
abundance. The age-old charm in its unique architecture, the mystifying tales
hidden in its forts and monuments, the diversity in its rich culture and
traditions, which traces its chronology since time immemorial, the colourful
festivals and the picturesque landscapes, India is a comprehensive destination,
which has the potential to tap the- One Billion Tourists One Billion
Opportunities, tagline, in its true sense!
Tourism is not merely a
rewarding division that caters to a promising career. In fact, there’s much
more to it. It is a field of turning dreams into reality, transforming plain
aspirations into magical realism. A tourism service provider is not like any
other professional, working towards achieving their target, both personal and
organisational. But they are the craftsman to others vision. They work together
to making those imaginations a living certainty. As they say it, “Travel is the
only thing you buy that makes you richer’, thus, it is not just a journey from
one place to another but an emotional bequest that a traveller carries all
along. Hence, it makes it even more significant for tourism professionals to
imbibe sensitivity while charting out a client’s travel preferences. Also,
innovative platforms such as high impact and low volume tourists to allocate to
niche market, forensic and scientific centres for tourism, etc; could be
incorporated for a more refined experience.
In a recent speech by
our beloved Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi at the United Nations, he
mentioned: “Eradicating poverty is a holy responsibility”, “We are all dreaming
of a world that is free from poverty”. The above excerpts from his speech are
notably important and it could only be accomplished if more jobs are created.
With the growing demand in the tourism sector it is most likely to be achieved
only through a dedicated work force. The job opportunities and options are limitless
provided they are in sync with the right attitude. According to the 2015
Economic Impact Annual Update Summary, tourism contributes 9.8% of total World
GDP, thereby, exhibiting great potential of latent prospects that the industry
has.
The choices we make shape
the journey we take and the journey of thousand miles begins with a single
step... These are the steps that are etched out on the memoirs of time. And as
shown in a television commercial, featuring actor Amir Khan for Atithi Devo
Bhava, highlights on the hospitality given to tourists, the warmth of which
echoes across the seven seas! Tourism is more than just about reaching a
destination – tourism has a global reach. It is a pursuit of promoting peace
and prosperity between nations and serving as the gateway to greater
understanding of the world beyond our borders.
In the words of
Alexander Sattler – “I would rather own little and see the world than own the
world and see little of it.” One billion tourists’ one billion opportunities waiting
to be seized multiple-fold...
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