However, Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world. In 2019, before the pandemic, it received over 50 million tourists. By contrast, in the same year, India had less than 11 million foreign tourist arrivals. In the World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Index in 2022, India was placed as low as 54 out of 117 countries.

Why should this be so, when we have so much to offer: glorious monuments, jungle safaris, remarkable beaches, adventure tourism, great cuisines, cultural extravaganzas, wonderful shopping, medical tourism, and exceptional five-star hospitality? If Italy has Rome, Venice, Milan and Florence, we have Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Thanjavur, Kerala, and Goa, apart from major Buddhist sites like Sanchi and Sarnath. True, we lag behind in hygiene and cleanliness, adequately trained tourist guides, and infrastructure. But surely, these are weaknesses that can be tackled. After all, China got a whopping 60 million tourists in 2019, and has now become the fourth most popular destination in the world. Its Great Wall of China and Forbidden City can be matched by the Taj Mahal and Khajuraho, not to mention Ajanta and Ellora, and so much more.

Tourism and hospitality are important contributors to the economy of a nation. Watching the jam-packed restaurants and tourist spots of Florence, I could understand why this sector earns €163 billion for Italy (in 2021), employs 8.8% of its population, and accounts for over 9% of its GDP. In India too, tourism at pre-pandemic levels, employed some 40 million people, which is 8% of the total employment in the country, and even at our current meagre numbers, contributed close to 7% to the GDP. Significantly, one great advantage of tourism as an employer is that it does not require advanced educational degrees, and provides employment at local levels on a dispersed basis across the country.

Before coming to Florence, I was in the south of France at the beautiful home of a close friend. France, of course, leads the world in tourism, followed by the USA, Spain and China. The French Riviera, where I was staying, alone gets 10 million tourists a year, while the entire country has over 80 million foreign visitors. India, according to tourism experts, is the biggest growing outward destination. The tourism sector is expected to grow at over 7% annually, and by 2031 we could also be among the top 10 tourist destinations in the world.

But to do that, we have to have a dynamic tourism promotion policy. There have been some reforms recently, including a more liberal visa policy and fewer delays at immigration counters. We need to advertise our natural advantages. One of them is price competitiveness. This strikes me forcefully every time I am in the developed countries, where, by Indian standards, everything is so expensive. Not surprisingly, even if we are currently ranked low in the World Tourism Index, in value for money we are ranked as high as 14th out of 140 countries. While we have advantages, there are some unalterable drawbacks too. Mexico, which gets some 35 million tourists, and is ranked at number 7 in global tourism numbers, has the USA as a neighbour, and the bulk of its high-paying tourists come from there. India’s neighbours are not rich. In fact, it was an eye-opener for me to learn that almost one-fourth of our tourists come from Bangladesh! Those from high-spending countries like the USA and UK come below that.

Essentially, we have not given tourism the attention it deserves. For some reason, our tourism ministers also have an additional charge of culture. In the end, they end up doing adequate justice to neither. The present tourism minister, G. Kishan Reddy, holds not only the culture portfolio, but also that of the Development of the North East Region. In the past, we have had tourism ministers who have held culture and ‘poverty alleviation’. India needs a Mission Tourism, with a full-time minister, and regular consultations with the private tourism sector.

However beautiful and enticing France and Italy may be (after Florence we leave for Sicily), I am really looking forward to returning to Delhi. As the poet says: ‘Woh koocha rooh-kash-e-jannat ho, ghar hai ghar phir bhi: That place may be the mirror image of paradise, home is still home’.

Pavan K Varma is author, diplomat, and former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha).

Just Like That is a weekly column where Varma shares nuggets from the world of history, culture, literature, and personal reminiscences with HT Premium readers

The views expressed are personal.