IITTM Conclave highlights poverty issues
The Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) gathering tabled important agendas such as the role of tourism industry as a job provider and poverty alleviator, and the need to have significant indigenous research.
ANIL MATHUR The
4th Directors’ Conclave at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), Gwalior, held on February 23, generated much buzz on a subject which is now a buzz word in every tourism meet – Tourism as a Poverty Alleviator. The interest extended to other aspects as well, such as on quality research and on Gwalior as a tourism hot-spot.
The theme of the conclave, which attracted crosssection of researchers, academicians and practitioners of the growing industry, was ‘ Tourism: Passport for Prosperity and Poverty Alleviation’.
A major grudge of the industry has been that tourism has not been given its rightful place by the country’s planners and policymakers over the decades, but this neglect has been made up by a significant mention of tourism as a job-giver in the 12th Five Year Plan document.
Perhaps this was the reason why the apex research and teaching body of the Ministry of Tourism opted to take up this topic at the annual Directors’ Conclave this year.
But there is an urgent need to improve the quality of research on subjects connected with the fast-growing tourism industry.
Another relevant point, made by the chief guest Gwalior Municipal Commissioner Vedprakash, was that steps need to be taken to highlight Gwalior in tourism development plans.
To set the ball rolling, IITTM Director Prof Manjula Chaudhary pointed out that poverty alleviation is important for tourism to make the industry socially relevant. She noted that poverty alleviation is on the industry’s agenda in the 12th Plan and also on the Millennium Goals of the United Nations and part of STEP—Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Povertyplan of the UNWTO. She noted that tourism can be an effective catalyst for poverty alleviation, because of its intrinsic nature. This includes it being labour- intensive, suitable for medium and small enterprises, providing jobs for basic skilled workers, minimum-entry barriers, export potential, and having links with other sectors.
Among the topics discussed by the delegates were issues like community participation, informal sectors, authencity of experience and pro-poor tourism policies and practices in India. There is need for caution and care at all levels to see that the best results of tourism stay with us and negative impacts are minimised.
But what stood out at the conclave was the admission that much more needs to be done to encourage quality of research by scholars.
Interestingly, the background note prepared for the conclave, as well as the ideas that came up during the deliberations, made it clear that the need to relate tourism gains to the larger good has been realised. Also, it is a matter of greater interaction to see that the rightful place of tourism is found, with proper planning and implementation, so that the its goal as a passport to prosperity and poverty alleviation is achieved.
Appropriately, the note says that, ‘Especially from the 1990s, there has been growing acknowledgement of the role of tourism as an agent of development and change. Its role in addressing the core issue of poverty and the human development process in general has been gaining momentum. Many have brought it as integral part of programmes and policies. This is true in case of the United Nations and the agencies and movements it promotes like UNWTO, UNCTAD, and UNDP.’
The IITTM paper noted that in the Millennium Development Goals promulgation of UN, eradicating human poverty was one of the prime missions of eight sets of goals and set a target of 20 years to achieve a poverty-free world.