India is a blessed country. It is a virtual tourist’s paradise. It has lofty mountains, vast deserts and sea shores, dense forests and river valleys. It also has a 2000 year old historical heritage reflected in its forts, temples and ancient ruins. India is a virtual treasure of different classical and folk art forms, dances, theatre, paintings, sculptures, pottery, poetry, ornaments, dress material, food, customs and traditions, languages, scripts and scriptures and literature, both written and spoken. This gave a tourist unlimited option to choose from.
The realization that India has a vast tourist potential and the right ingredient for the development of a flourishing industry is of a recent origin. The impetus currently being given to tourism has already borne fruits. The gradually enlarging tourist traffic has helped in creating a climate favorable to tourism in India.
More and more efficient facilities for tourist in terms of accommodation, recreation, transport, shopping and development of new tourist spots is the need of the hour. Maintenance and preservation of our archaeological monuments and samples of our ancient art on paper, fabric, wood, ceramic and metal for generating tourists and scholars’ interest should go hand in hand.
Care should also be taken to develop other characteristics of Indian cultures, like hospitality etc. so that tourists who are not interested in the five star India, and who wish to see India, and who wish to see India at close quarters get an opportunity to do so.
Tourism today is a rapidly growing industry of the world. To ignore such a goose that lays golden eggs would be committing folly of the gravest kind.
Vocabulary
Paradise—heaven
Rapidly—quickly