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A novel concept of development of large size tourism pockets under private lease for royalty is under active consideration by the ministry of tourism. To complement tourist promotion to India these pockets would provide every facility ranging from transportation to accommodation to night life, lack of which deters travellers to India.

These pockets of size of about one thousand square mile will lie in hill areas, beaches, wild life sanctuaries, historical circuits and the island chains of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep. To facilitate their speedy development these pockets will be placed under an area development authority the creation of which, it is learnt, will be one of the highlights of the proposed national tourism policy.

The minister for tourism and civil aviation, Mr. Madhavrao Scindia, is likely to give broad hints of the new tourism policy in his address at the Goa travel congress. The policy document itself may take a month or more to be finalised. He has been having discussions with representatives of the industry who according to some sources have been placing greater emphasis on their sectorial demands than on the larger issues. The minister however has asked senior aides to prepare the groundwork for a national policy. It is in preparing this framework that the ministry has given serious thought to the creation of pockets.

These pockets could be far apart in different parts of the country. Since their development would concern, according to the present rules a multiplicity of authorities, the ministry is considering the creation of a single area development authority which will be an autonomous body with adequate powers for a single window clearance of projects.