Govt. considering incentives for budget accommodation in PPP mode: Selja

Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja today said the Government was working on an incentive/subsidy scheme to encourage the setting up of budget accommodation through the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

Speaking at the annual convention of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India in Agra, Ms Selja said this would address the core issue of non-availability of land and high establishment cost.

Ms Selja said the Centre had been advocating the enhancement of floor area ratio (FAR) for hotels and encouraging mixed usage of plot area.

She said that, while India had positioned itself as a chosen destination for the ultra top end luxury travellers, there still existed a gap between supply and demand and more hotel rooms were needed to bridge this gap. She said the mid-segment and budget travellers also needed to be addressed.

Ms Selja said the main issue which needed to be tackled was the shortage of safe, secure and clean accommodation all over the country, especially in the budget category. She pointed out that the exorbitant cost of land forced hotels to operte under higher star categories in order to make them commercially viable.

Referring to the theme of the convention "Health and Wellness", the Minister said the tourism potential of India's wellness systems, developed indigenously through centuries of wisdom, was yet to be fully tapped.

She said the Indian way of life had to be positioned before tourists as integral and inclusive of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, naturopathy and spiritual philosophy.

"We have to position this product as a comprehensive approach for body, mind and soul," she said.

According to her, tourists the world over revere the Indian system of wellness as among the most pristine and authentic forms. They yearn for opportunities to experience these systems, she said.

Ms Selja said there was need to tap this huge market and identify and network the existing wellness experiences, develop wellness tourism standards and work towards collaborative marketing. She also said there was need to standardise the products to make the facilities in India internationally competitive.

NNN