Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these.
The COVID-19 pandemic has probably been the most devastating of financial and social crisis of recent times, leading to suspension of almost all economic activity and forcing a country wide lockdown. While the INR 20 lakh crore economic recovery has assuaged some apprehensions, some sectors that have been more affected than others, and sectors that could help with economic recovery have been overlooked.
Tourism, which contributes 5.06 per cent in India’s GDP (2016-17) is one such industry which has been ignored in this recovery package. The ongoing pandemic, travel restrictions, and the country wide lockdown have brought the entire tourism industry to a standstill, and unlike other sectors, tourism will take longer to recover, especially leisure tourism. This will have a direct impact on states like Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Sikkim and other north eastern states which depend extensively on tourism as a source of state revenue.
The EU has provided benefits in the form of liquidity support, fiscal relief, and easing of state aid rules for those in the tourism business and is currently considering a tourism recovery plan. Italy, one of the worst country to be affected by COVID-19, has recently announced a four billion euros bailout package for tourism and will incentivise domestic tourists to holiday on home soil. The French government too has announced an eighteen billion euros “Marshall Plan for Tourism” bailout for tourism. Countries such as US, UK and Singapore too have initiated focussed efforts to revive tourism. India’s lack of focus on tourism and its conspicuous absence from the recovery package is both surprising and disappointing. Even more so when the government has been paying particular attention to the sector these last six years.
For the tourism industry, this is an excellent time to develop a common safety and sanitation standard for hosting and serving its customers. The industry must also utilise this opportunity to adopt ecological waste disposal practices and adopt environment friendly day to day practices.
It is quite evident that the tourism sector in India needs a redoubled and renewed push for its revival in the post COVID-19 world. The government must consider an immediate recovery package and plan that focusses on the tourism sector, not just because it is one of the worst affected, but also because it is arguably the largest source of employment and source of income for many MSMEs.