A significant international development, at least for India, is the steady rise of China as the world’s top aid donor.
On one hand the USA – a prominent source of international aid – is suffering from a weakening economy. On the other hand another key international aid donor Japan has decided to restraint its supply of aids to the developing world. This combined development has resulted in an ample room for China to establish itself as a top international aid donor, with the Asian and the African regions in its focus area. In fact, it has already become a key aid donor to the developing nations of the African continent.
While it is otherwise a great news to find the emergence of yet another country as a prominent international aid donor, it is probably not a pleasant development for India given the fact that the country in question is China. And the reason is very simple. Its newly achieved status as a key aid donor will enhance China’s political status as well, and it is taken for granted that it will use its enhanced political status and weight to serve its political objectives. This will in fact be quite an easy game for China, with the countries dependent on Chinese aids having a moral and/or obligatory compulsion to toe China’s political stands on international issues.
And this is likely to be a matter of concern for India, as China’s political objectives are not always at par with India’s interests. On the occasion of an Indo-China face-off, China may try to gather the support of those countries dependent on its aid, thereby exerting a strong international pressure on India. And the heat sometimes may be too much for India.
So what can be done? Well, there seems to be only one way out. India should try to convince the USA that a significant expansion in China’s sphere of international influence is not likely to be a very healthy development for “Uncle Sam”, as well. And therefore the USA must try to ensure that China does not manage to achieve the status of a top international aid donor, a status that the Chinese government is trying to achieve very hard.
But how will the USA do it? Well, let’s leave it to the US government itself. The US government is well known for handling such developments in the past, and is very much likely to chalk out a suitable plan to address this issue.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Let’s Not Confuse Globalization With Cultural Homogeneity
Cultural Enrichment – When one culture learns something new from another culture, without losing its own characteristics.
Cultural Dilution – When one culture picks up new characteristics and practices from another culture, and loses its own characteristics in the process.
While Globalization has given us the opportunity to experience the first one, it has also made us vulnerable to the latter.
Now it is our responsibility to have a balanced approach towards Globalization, wherein we can successfully pick up the gems of other cultures that we come across, without losing the assets of our own culture.
On one hand we must not indulge in any flawed idea of cultural purity, therein tying to make futile attempts to “save” our culture from any sort of foreign influence. Rather we should have a proactive approach towards learning new things from other cultures.
However, on the other hand we must be able to retain our own cultural specialties, which help us have our own national identity in this multicultural world.
Let’s remember that Globalization stands for a harmonious and thriving co-existence of various cultures, and not a dull Cultural Homogeneity.
Cultural Dilution – When one culture picks up new characteristics and practices from another culture, and loses its own characteristics in the process.
While Globalization has given us the opportunity to experience the first one, it has also made us vulnerable to the latter.
Now it is our responsibility to have a balanced approach towards Globalization, wherein we can successfully pick up the gems of other cultures that we come across, without losing the assets of our own culture.
On one hand we must not indulge in any flawed idea of cultural purity, therein tying to make futile attempts to “save” our culture from any sort of foreign influence. Rather we should have a proactive approach towards learning new things from other cultures.
However, on the other hand we must be able to retain our own cultural specialties, which help us have our own national identity in this multicultural world.
Let’s remember that Globalization stands for a harmonious and thriving co-existence of various cultures, and not a dull Cultural Homogeneity.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sports Tourism In India – A Seemingly Undertapped Potential
The Indian government has seemingly not made full utilization of the rich Sports Tourism potential that this country is fortunate to enjoy. Given the fact that India enjoys a highly rich geographical diversity, there is little wonder that we witness the practice of such a vast range of sports on our soil – ranging from skiing in the snow covered Himalayan regions to water sports like scuba diving and snorkeling in the coastal regions.
And this vast range of sports opportunities offers a great destination marketing proposition to the “Incredible India” campaigners, i.e. the mandarins of the Indian Tourism Ministry.
The Indian Tourism Ministry can use these sports facilities to lure a huge number of potential foreign tourists who are sports freak, and will love to practice their favourite games in an ideal locale. So the question is, does the Tourism Ministry promote and market these sports facilities properly among the potential target audience?
One can argue that these sports facilities are already well known among foreign tourists. After all, it is a common experience to find foreign tourists participating in skiing and trekking in Himachal Pradesh, scuba diving and snorkeling in Goa or Lakshwadeep, etc. Yes, it is true. But we must remember that most of these tourists come to India primarily for traveling, and avail these sports facilities on the sidelines of their travel (or as part of their travel). It is not that common to come across foreigners who have come down precisely to play these sports (though sometimes we ofcourse find foreigners to have come down for trekking, mountaineering, etc.).
Personally I feel that the Tourism Ministry should market these sports facilities very aggressively, with a special team having exclusive focus on this area. The Ministry should try to ensure that almost all foreign enthusiasts of relevant sports (skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling, etc.) not only come to know about these sports facilities, but also get enthused to come down to India simply to experience them.
For that the Ministry has to carefully craft very captivating marketing campaigns, which will unfailingly catch the fascination of the target audience. The Ministry should also be careful about marketing the right “product” to the right “potential customer”. For example, while marketing the skiing facilities in Himachal Pradesh, the Ministry can target the USA and the European countries, where people are known for their love for skiing. And while marketing water sports facilities like scuba diving and snorkeling, primary focus may be given on countries like Australia and New Zealand, where people are known to be passionate about water sports. It may be true that while marketing a geographical feature (such as mountains), our main focus should be on countries where people are not familiar with it (for example Singapore), and will therefore be thrilled to come to India to see the feature themselves. However, while marketing a sports facility we must focus mainly on the country where people are familiar with the sports, and can identify themselves with the same. In case they are not interested in the sports, they will not get enthused. (Just imagine marketing a gala Cricket Event in the USA).
Since Sports Tourism caters to a niche market, it is comparatively easier to formulate “cumulative” marketing and promotional campaigns covering a huge chunk of appropriate target audience at one go. For example, while marketing Goa-based scuba diving facilities in Australia, the Ministry can make a direct campaign at the scuba diving associations and organizations of Australia.
I suppose the Tourism Ministry should immediately form a special team exclusively focused on promoting and branding India as an ideal “Sports Destination”. And it should come up with various customized punch lines depending on the target audiences, such as “Himachal Pradesh – Your Ideal Skiing Destination” or “Goa – The Heaven of Scuba Diving”.
And this vast range of sports opportunities offers a great destination marketing proposition to the “Incredible India” campaigners, i.e. the mandarins of the Indian Tourism Ministry.
The Indian Tourism Ministry can use these sports facilities to lure a huge number of potential foreign tourists who are sports freak, and will love to practice their favourite games in an ideal locale. So the question is, does the Tourism Ministry promote and market these sports facilities properly among the potential target audience?
One can argue that these sports facilities are already well known among foreign tourists. After all, it is a common experience to find foreign tourists participating in skiing and trekking in Himachal Pradesh, scuba diving and snorkeling in Goa or Lakshwadeep, etc. Yes, it is true. But we must remember that most of these tourists come to India primarily for traveling, and avail these sports facilities on the sidelines of their travel (or as part of their travel). It is not that common to come across foreigners who have come down precisely to play these sports (though sometimes we ofcourse find foreigners to have come down for trekking, mountaineering, etc.).
Personally I feel that the Tourism Ministry should market these sports facilities very aggressively, with a special team having exclusive focus on this area. The Ministry should try to ensure that almost all foreign enthusiasts of relevant sports (skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling, etc.) not only come to know about these sports facilities, but also get enthused to come down to India simply to experience them.
For that the Ministry has to carefully craft very captivating marketing campaigns, which will unfailingly catch the fascination of the target audience. The Ministry should also be careful about marketing the right “product” to the right “potential customer”. For example, while marketing the skiing facilities in Himachal Pradesh, the Ministry can target the USA and the European countries, where people are known for their love for skiing. And while marketing water sports facilities like scuba diving and snorkeling, primary focus may be given on countries like Australia and New Zealand, where people are known to be passionate about water sports. It may be true that while marketing a geographical feature (such as mountains), our main focus should be on countries where people are not familiar with it (for example Singapore), and will therefore be thrilled to come to India to see the feature themselves. However, while marketing a sports facility we must focus mainly on the country where people are familiar with the sports, and can identify themselves with the same. In case they are not interested in the sports, they will not get enthused. (Just imagine marketing a gala Cricket Event in the USA).
Since Sports Tourism caters to a niche market, it is comparatively easier to formulate “cumulative” marketing and promotional campaigns covering a huge chunk of appropriate target audience at one go. For example, while marketing Goa-based scuba diving facilities in Australia, the Ministry can make a direct campaign at the scuba diving associations and organizations of Australia.
I suppose the Tourism Ministry should immediately form a special team exclusively focused on promoting and branding India as an ideal “Sports Destination”. And it should come up with various customized punch lines depending on the target audiences, such as “Himachal Pradesh – Your Ideal Skiing Destination” or “Goa – The Heaven of Scuba Diving”.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The “Ideal Utilization” Of Tourism Generated Revenue
Tourism has the proven potential to usher in significant economic development for an area.
However, we can “tap” that potential only if we channelize the Tourism generated revenue in the appropriate manner. And unfortunately a gross problem with us is that most of us perceive Tourism just as a means to generate revenue, without bothering much about the “ideal utilization” of the revenue that has been generated.
We must remember that the revenue generated by the tourism activities in a place should ideally be utilized for the economic growth of the local people. Yes, that is the only way to translate the Tourism activities in a place into a strong economic development of the latter.
Fine. But how can we maximize the utilization of the revenue for the benefit of the local people?
Well, for that we have to ensure that the largest possible chunk of the revenue generated by Tourism goes to the hands of the local community.
Fine again. But how can we ensure that the local community gets the largest possible share of the revenue generated by the local Tourism activities?
Well, the flow of the Tourism-generated revenue to the local community is directly proportional to the involvement of the latter. In a simpler language, more the local people will be associated with the local Tourism activities, more will be their share in the revenue generated by those activities.
So if the government is serious about using Tourism as a means to uplift the economic condition of the local people in remote and/or underdeveloped areas, then it must craft the tourism infrastructure in those places in such a way that it has ample room for the involvement of the local people. In fact, involvement of the local community must be made one of the “thrust areas”, enjoying the same focus and importance as enjoyed by other key issues like building of roads and air/railway connections, setting up of hotels, formulation of marketing/promotion strategies, etc. It should be the government’s responsibility to identify each and every way to involve the local community, e.g.
• As employees in local hotels/restaurants (like in-house tourist guide of a hotel, waiter in a restaurant, etc.)
• As entrepreneurs, either selling commodities directly to tourists (like selling local handicrafts in the market) or playing vendors to other players who are directly interacting with tourists (like supplying food ingredients to local hotels/restaurants)
As of now, the success of a tourist spot is judged mainly (if not only) on the basis of the tourist inflow and the eventual revenue generation, i.e. how many tourists it has received in a specific period of time, and the revenue generated therein. Now the government should add another parameter, i.e. what percentage of the Tourism-generated revenue has been utilized for the economic upliftment of the local people. After all, what is the benefit of the revenue if the same is not utilized for the gains of the local people?
Now it is often found that the civil society (NGOs, intellectuals, etc.) keeps a track of the environmental-friendliness of a Tourism project, i.e. whether the project is causing any damage of any sort to the natural resources, etc., of that spot. It is time the civil society also got watchful about whether a successful Tourism project is resulting in appropriate economic gains for the local community, and questioned the government if that is not the case.
Tourism at a spot cannot flourish without the co-operation of the local people. And if they do not get proper “dividend” from the local Tourism business, then they will not only feel isolated from it but will also get hostile to the same. And for any business initiative (Tourism-related or otherwise) no threat can be graver than the hostility of the local people.
So the issue of “revenue sharing” is not only a question of ethics, but also of sustainability.
However, we can “tap” that potential only if we channelize the Tourism generated revenue in the appropriate manner. And unfortunately a gross problem with us is that most of us perceive Tourism just as a means to generate revenue, without bothering much about the “ideal utilization” of the revenue that has been generated.
We must remember that the revenue generated by the tourism activities in a place should ideally be utilized for the economic growth of the local people. Yes, that is the only way to translate the Tourism activities in a place into a strong economic development of the latter.
Fine. But how can we maximize the utilization of the revenue for the benefit of the local people?
Well, for that we have to ensure that the largest possible chunk of the revenue generated by Tourism goes to the hands of the local community.
Fine again. But how can we ensure that the local community gets the largest possible share of the revenue generated by the local Tourism activities?
Well, the flow of the Tourism-generated revenue to the local community is directly proportional to the involvement of the latter. In a simpler language, more the local people will be associated with the local Tourism activities, more will be their share in the revenue generated by those activities.
So if the government is serious about using Tourism as a means to uplift the economic condition of the local people in remote and/or underdeveloped areas, then it must craft the tourism infrastructure in those places in such a way that it has ample room for the involvement of the local people. In fact, involvement of the local community must be made one of the “thrust areas”, enjoying the same focus and importance as enjoyed by other key issues like building of roads and air/railway connections, setting up of hotels, formulation of marketing/promotion strategies, etc. It should be the government’s responsibility to identify each and every way to involve the local community, e.g.
• As employees in local hotels/restaurants (like in-house tourist guide of a hotel, waiter in a restaurant, etc.)
• As entrepreneurs, either selling commodities directly to tourists (like selling local handicrafts in the market) or playing vendors to other players who are directly interacting with tourists (like supplying food ingredients to local hotels/restaurants)
As of now, the success of a tourist spot is judged mainly (if not only) on the basis of the tourist inflow and the eventual revenue generation, i.e. how many tourists it has received in a specific period of time, and the revenue generated therein. Now the government should add another parameter, i.e. what percentage of the Tourism-generated revenue has been utilized for the economic upliftment of the local people. After all, what is the benefit of the revenue if the same is not utilized for the gains of the local people?
Now it is often found that the civil society (NGOs, intellectuals, etc.) keeps a track of the environmental-friendliness of a Tourism project, i.e. whether the project is causing any damage of any sort to the natural resources, etc., of that spot. It is time the civil society also got watchful about whether a successful Tourism project is resulting in appropriate economic gains for the local community, and questioned the government if that is not the case.
Tourism at a spot cannot flourish without the co-operation of the local people. And if they do not get proper “dividend” from the local Tourism business, then they will not only feel isolated from it but will also get hostile to the same. And for any business initiative (Tourism-related or otherwise) no threat can be graver than the hostility of the local people.
So the issue of “revenue sharing” is not only a question of ethics, but also of sustainability.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Palace Tourism In Rajasthan
Other day I was reading in the newspaper about Liz Hurley’s plan to buy a “Haveli” in Rajasthan. And I was not surprised. The fascination of the “western world” for the old palaces of Rajasthan is well known, with the fascination itself stemming from their fascination for the seemingly fairy tales appeal of now non-existent Indian royalty. Actually this fascination for the Indian royals (of the yesteryear) is found not only in the “West’, but virtually in every other part of the world.
So I was just wondering whether we can cash in on this fascination, and thus boost tourism in Rajasthan? And the plan that I suggest is the initiation of a specialized “Palace Tourism” for foreign tourists.
Yes, I know that Palace Tourism is already there, wherein tourists are taken inside the ancient palaces and forts in Rajasthan (and also in other places like Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, etc.), and exposed to various traces and remnants (like clothes, utensils, etc.) of the memory of the royals who used to stay there.
But what I am suggesting is a bit different. I suggest the government to launch an offer wherein a foreign couple (or a group of friends, a single person, etc.) can rent a Rajasthan palace for few days. The entire ambience inside the palace will be kept exactly in the way it was during the time of the royals, with the staff dressed in attires and uniforms of that time. And, most importantly, the tourists will be given the types of attires that royals used to wear. And, the staff will be dealing with them exactly in the way the royals would be treated by their servants, like doing “Kurnish”, etc. (Of course the staff must not be forced to do something which is against their self respect sense). And the old world royal touch should be there in terms of other matters, as well. For example, instead of using a bathroom comprising modern gadgets, the tourists can enjoy a bath that the former masters of that palace would enjoy (for example, the lady staff helping the lady tourists to have a bath in a tub full of rose water, exactly in a manner the queens used to take bath).
In a nutshell, I want to say that the tourists can be made to experience exactly the life that royals used to enjoy during their reign.
I feel that such a plan will be an instant hit for the foreign tourists, who still perceive India as a land of Kings and Queens, and carry huge fascination for the latter. It will be a great way to “utilize” their fascination, and enhance tourist influx in Rajasthan. Of course such a stay will be very costly. And in fact the government should target mainly the rich American and European tourists, who have both the money and the stomach for expenses.
I do not know whether any such plan has already been incorporated. And I also do not know whether everybody will appreciate this “Marketing and Promotion” plan. I just came up with a plan that struck my mind. And I appreciate an open feedback from everybody.
So I was just wondering whether we can cash in on this fascination, and thus boost tourism in Rajasthan? And the plan that I suggest is the initiation of a specialized “Palace Tourism” for foreign tourists.
Yes, I know that Palace Tourism is already there, wherein tourists are taken inside the ancient palaces and forts in Rajasthan (and also in other places like Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, etc.), and exposed to various traces and remnants (like clothes, utensils, etc.) of the memory of the royals who used to stay there.
But what I am suggesting is a bit different. I suggest the government to launch an offer wherein a foreign couple (or a group of friends, a single person, etc.) can rent a Rajasthan palace for few days. The entire ambience inside the palace will be kept exactly in the way it was during the time of the royals, with the staff dressed in attires and uniforms of that time. And, most importantly, the tourists will be given the types of attires that royals used to wear. And, the staff will be dealing with them exactly in the way the royals would be treated by their servants, like doing “Kurnish”, etc. (Of course the staff must not be forced to do something which is against their self respect sense). And the old world royal touch should be there in terms of other matters, as well. For example, instead of using a bathroom comprising modern gadgets, the tourists can enjoy a bath that the former masters of that palace would enjoy (for example, the lady staff helping the lady tourists to have a bath in a tub full of rose water, exactly in a manner the queens used to take bath).
In a nutshell, I want to say that the tourists can be made to experience exactly the life that royals used to enjoy during their reign.
I feel that such a plan will be an instant hit for the foreign tourists, who still perceive India as a land of Kings and Queens, and carry huge fascination for the latter. It will be a great way to “utilize” their fascination, and enhance tourist influx in Rajasthan. Of course such a stay will be very costly. And in fact the government should target mainly the rich American and European tourists, who have both the money and the stomach for expenses.
I do not know whether any such plan has already been incorporated. And I also do not know whether everybody will appreciate this “Marketing and Promotion” plan. I just came up with a plan that struck my mind. And I appreciate an open feedback from everybody.
High Tourist Influx In The Corbett National Park – A Boon Or Bane?
The high tourist influx in the Corbett National Park – which has the highest tiger density in India in terms of per square km. of forest area – has resulted in a sort of face-off between the Union Environment and Forest Minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh and the state government of Uttarakhand (i.e. the state where the National Park is located).
Ramesh has requested the Uttarakhand government to restrain the inflow of tourist vehicles into the Park, as he feels that it is hampering the conservation of the Park’s tiger population. In the last year the Park reportedly witnessed the visit of more than 2 lakhs of tourists, with a daily average of around 400 tourists.
Ramesh has opined that the huge inflow of tourist vehicles has caused a huge air and noise pollution. And that in turn has resulted in a significant stress for the tigers. A key point made by Ramesh is that the noise pollution resulting from vehicular movements has adversely affected the breeding of the tigers of the Park.
However, the Uttarakhand government is in no mood to accept these observations. It has strongly claimed that the tourist influx has been kept within the permissible limits, and so no fresh restriction can be issued. The state government has also highlighted the fact the livelihoods of a huge chuck of the local population is dependent on the tourists, and putting a restraint on the tourist influx will also threaten the livelihood options of those locals.
What I feel, as a layman, is that the issue must be analyzed and evaluated purely from the sustainability angle, instead of letting any political face-off coming in the way.
Tourism is undoubtedly a crucial issue, as it ushers in a huge revenue for the government, thus enriching the latter’s coffer to a great extent. However, at the same time we can not wish away the issue of conservation. In fact, we must remember that negligence towards conservation can ultimately threaten the existence of the National Park itself, thus resulting in a threat for the very tourism business for which the conservation issue was ignored.
The Uttarakhand government has said that livelihoods of a huge chuck of the local population is dependent on tourist inflow, and that is one key reason why that inflow cannot be restrained. A good point indeed. But the state government must remember that if unrestrained tourist influx robs the Park of its tiger population (as it assumedly happened in the case of Sariska), then the tourists will stop coming here. And then it is that very livelihood of the local population that will be at stake, right?
Let me just give you an example in this respect. Suppose there is a milking cow at my home, which gives a substantial quantity of milk, thus addressing all the milk related requirements of my family. Now, shall I maintain some self-restraint while milking her every morning, so that my demand is fulfilled and the cow is also not forced to overdo herself? Or shall I squeeze her for so much milk everyday, that she ultimately falls ill and becomes permanently unable to give any milk at all? You will certainly want me to go for the first option, right? Similarly, our hunger for tourism-generated revenue must not “enthuse” us to squeeze a spot so much that it eventually runs out of the very “tourist attractions” that it is known for.
So I feel that the state and the central government should jointly set up an independent committee, comprising relevant technocrats including Eco-tourism experts. Let them conduct an independent study to decide whether the tourist inflow in any National Park (and not only in the Corbett) is within the permissible limit or more than that. Let them first make a list of all those sanctuaries and national parks which are witnessing significant tourist inflows, and then make the study. They can either evaluate the sanctuaries and parks one by one, or can study all of them simultaneously by dividing themselves into various teams.
There must be a balance in our approach to tourism and conservation, wherein we should appreciate the importance of both of them. And this balance of approach should be reflected in the ground management, wherein tourism should be allowed up to the level it does not threat conservation, and not beyond it. Basically the concept that I am referring to is “Sustainable Tourism” – a buzzword in today’s world.
And it is precisely the job of the Eco-tourism experts, i.e. maintaining the right balance between tourism and conservation. So it is they who are best qualified to oversee such issues, and not the political masters.
Ramesh has requested the Uttarakhand government to restrain the inflow of tourist vehicles into the Park, as he feels that it is hampering the conservation of the Park’s tiger population. In the last year the Park reportedly witnessed the visit of more than 2 lakhs of tourists, with a daily average of around 400 tourists.
Ramesh has opined that the huge inflow of tourist vehicles has caused a huge air and noise pollution. And that in turn has resulted in a significant stress for the tigers. A key point made by Ramesh is that the noise pollution resulting from vehicular movements has adversely affected the breeding of the tigers of the Park.
However, the Uttarakhand government is in no mood to accept these observations. It has strongly claimed that the tourist influx has been kept within the permissible limits, and so no fresh restriction can be issued. The state government has also highlighted the fact the livelihoods of a huge chuck of the local population is dependent on the tourists, and putting a restraint on the tourist influx will also threaten the livelihood options of those locals.
What I feel, as a layman, is that the issue must be analyzed and evaluated purely from the sustainability angle, instead of letting any political face-off coming in the way.
Tourism is undoubtedly a crucial issue, as it ushers in a huge revenue for the government, thus enriching the latter’s coffer to a great extent. However, at the same time we can not wish away the issue of conservation. In fact, we must remember that negligence towards conservation can ultimately threaten the existence of the National Park itself, thus resulting in a threat for the very tourism business for which the conservation issue was ignored.
The Uttarakhand government has said that livelihoods of a huge chuck of the local population is dependent on tourist inflow, and that is one key reason why that inflow cannot be restrained. A good point indeed. But the state government must remember that if unrestrained tourist influx robs the Park of its tiger population (as it assumedly happened in the case of Sariska), then the tourists will stop coming here. And then it is that very livelihood of the local population that will be at stake, right?
Let me just give you an example in this respect. Suppose there is a milking cow at my home, which gives a substantial quantity of milk, thus addressing all the milk related requirements of my family. Now, shall I maintain some self-restraint while milking her every morning, so that my demand is fulfilled and the cow is also not forced to overdo herself? Or shall I squeeze her for so much milk everyday, that she ultimately falls ill and becomes permanently unable to give any milk at all? You will certainly want me to go for the first option, right? Similarly, our hunger for tourism-generated revenue must not “enthuse” us to squeeze a spot so much that it eventually runs out of the very “tourist attractions” that it is known for.
So I feel that the state and the central government should jointly set up an independent committee, comprising relevant technocrats including Eco-tourism experts. Let them conduct an independent study to decide whether the tourist inflow in any National Park (and not only in the Corbett) is within the permissible limit or more than that. Let them first make a list of all those sanctuaries and national parks which are witnessing significant tourist inflows, and then make the study. They can either evaluate the sanctuaries and parks one by one, or can study all of them simultaneously by dividing themselves into various teams.
There must be a balance in our approach to tourism and conservation, wherein we should appreciate the importance of both of them. And this balance of approach should be reflected in the ground management, wherein tourism should be allowed up to the level it does not threat conservation, and not beyond it. Basically the concept that I am referring to is “Sustainable Tourism” – a buzzword in today’s world.
And it is precisely the job of the Eco-tourism experts, i.e. maintaining the right balance between tourism and conservation. So it is they who are best qualified to oversee such issues, and not the political masters.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Dalai Lama – The Gritty Peace Lover
Dalai Lama – the gritty peace lover, for whom “Peace” is not an excuse to avoid conflict and adversity
But a powerful tool to counter his adversaries with composure and dignity.
Dalai Lama – the embodiment of the pride and indomitable spirit of the great Tibetan race
A man who is so humble, and yet carries himself with elegance and grace.
Dalai Lama – the great apostle of love, harmony, compassion and humanity
An angel in the form of human being, who is here to guide us to the heavenly path of holiness and nobility.
(It is a humble ode to the great Tibetan leader on the auspicious occasion of his 75th birthday)
But a powerful tool to counter his adversaries with composure and dignity.
Dalai Lama – the embodiment of the pride and indomitable spirit of the great Tibetan race
A man who is so humble, and yet carries himself with elegance and grace.
Dalai Lama – the great apostle of love, harmony, compassion and humanity
An angel in the form of human being, who is here to guide us to the heavenly path of holiness and nobility.
(It is a humble ode to the great Tibetan leader on the auspicious occasion of his 75th birthday)
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