Schemes for the development of infrastructure at tourist sites have been undertaken under the Five year Plans and some good results have been obtained. But the funds have been spread thinly and the schemes have not been integrated with plans for the beautification of the urban surroundings of the sites. Several cities with tourist interest have been included in the 63 cities identified as mission cities under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), but the priority in the Mission is for schemes for water supply, sewerage, drainage and solid waste management. In order to improve the competitiveness of heritage tourism in India the Group recommends that funds should be earmarked from the provisions for JNNURM for the beautification of the urban surroundings of the heritage sites in these cities.
The Group’s attention was drawn to the enactment of the Kerala Tourism (Conservation and Preservation of Areas) Act, 2005, which provides for the declaration by the State Government of any area, which has or is likely to have importance from the point of view of tourism, as ‘Special Tourism Zone’ for the conservation, preservation and integrated development of such an area. The Act envisages the constitution of a Tourism Conservation and Preservation Committee, with the main function to prepare sustainable tourism development plans including guidelines to regulate developmental activities in the area and powers to give directions to the local authority for the implementation of such plans and guidelines. The Group was of the view that other State Governments with tourism activity should consider enacting a similar law so that planned development of tourist areas at the initiative of State Tourism Departments could be undertaken with the participation of local authorities.
