india

Updated: Sep 23, 2019 00:56 IST

New Delhi: India has not explored the full potential of heritage tourism because it is so large, according to the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage convenor Swapna Liddle.

“We have to think out of the box and look at where our untapped potential lies,” said Liddle at the Hindustan Times Tourism Conclave on Friday.

At a session titled Potential of Heritage Tourism in India, Liddle said an average tourist, who visits Agra, for instance, goes to the Taj Mahal, the fort, and maybe Fatehpur Sikri and rushes back. “We are not encouraging tourists to wander in the streets of the old city, or to explore the colonial era areas like the Civil Lines or even the ASI [Archaeological Survey of India] sites like the Catholic cemetery,” she added.

Historian and author Rana Safvi, who was also a part of the session, discussed the multiple ways in which the rich tangible and intangible heritage of the country can be explored to propel tourism, economic growth and community development in India.

Safvi underlined the need to tap into intangible heritage and culture. She added in Delhi, for instance, Dastangoi, an ancient form of Urdu storytelling, happens on a stretch around Jama Masjid along with various other plays, and poetry recitations. “…but none of that is being showcased as a cultural heritage,” she said.

“The intangible needs to be connected to the tangible to give context and bring the ruins and walls alive. That is why heritage walks have become so popular these days,” she said.

Liddle, who has been conducting heritage walks in Delhi for over a decade, said that such activities have seen a tremendous response from the public. “It is not a coincidence that in the last 20 years, heritage has become such an important part of the popular discourse,” she said.

Both Liddle and Safvi underlined it is necessary to go beyond the obvious heritage sites both for economic growth and for removing pressure from the popular ones.

Liddle said it is important to learn that tourism is too important to be left to the tourism department and ministries alone. “It is something that should concern all of us whether it is the municipal corporations, environment authorities, employment generation sector...,’’ said Liddle.

“By making better cities, we will improve the lives of the people living there and make it a better experience for tourists as well.”

The panellists also discussed how heritage development for tourism purposes can also help in urban development, the need for public-private partnerships, and the scope of heritage tourism as a career option for students of the social sciences.