As many as 35 Civil Society Organizations (CSO) have urged the Ministry of Tourism to relook and incorporate few vital issues in the Draft New Tourism Policy (NTP) 2015. A statement released by Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS) and signed by CSO termed the Draft Policy limited in its vision, flawed in its approach and aims to centralise power, places central bureaucracy and corporates at the core and is anti-people.
The release in its 4-pager explanation states that the draft NTP, 2015 does not alert the industry as to implications of unregulated tourism development, thereby not creating the space for much needed regulatory mechanisms to protect the rights and interests of people affected by tourism.
It further says that while the NTP seeks to emphasize upon the enhanced and greater role of Center, state tourism institutions (that include state TDCs, other autonomous public sector agencies, District Councils, elected bodies like panchayats and municipalities) find no mention in it. Once again, this is grossly erroneous in a democratic and federated polity like ours. Also, emphasis on centralization and placing tourism in the concurrent list undermines not only their present significant role in tourism promotion, but also the scope of meaningful participation of these institutions in future policy interventions.
According to the document, the process undertaken by the Ministry to write this policy document is flawed and unconstitutional. “It seems that the tourism consultants have been employed to write this document. It’s a global norm now to democratize policy making for its long term consequences. Even for projects there is need for free prior informed consent particularly for Indigenous Peoples, and this is about a policy. Before the announcement of the draft policy, the Ministry received suggestions that the process be reviewed and a democratic one be put in place, yet the Ministry chose to go ahead and this release of the draft policy,” the document reads.
The group of 35 organisations calls for:
1. A democratic process for policy making be initiated with the State Departments Tourism, wherein they engage with the LSGIs in the tourism destinations on the policy making process
2. The draft National Tourism Policy should not be finalised without a consultation with relevant civil society organisations
3. The Ministry of Tourism recognise the role of the unorganised sector in tourism and therefore involve their unions / associations in the policy making process
4. The Ministry of Tourism should approach the tourism policy from a Constitutional perspective which is socialist, secular and democratic and refrain from playing into the hands of the private sector / corporations.
