India’s share in global tourist traffic could double to 1 percent in five years as more overseas travelers visit its ancient temples and mountains and get affordable medical treatment.

Inbound tourism has been growing at 15 percent to 17 percent in the past two years because India is a safe destination compared with many other countries, which face terror threats, Robin Banerjee, executive director for finance at travel company Thomas Cook ( India) Ltd., said on February 9 in Mumbai.

India offers value for money to tourists and a unique combination of sun, sea, mountain and history, he said.

US and UK visitors accounted for almost a third of the 3.36 million arrivals in India in 2004, helping raise the country’s share in global tourist traffic to 0.44 percent in 2004 from 0.39 percent in 2003. India is also encouraging theme tourism, where leisure travel is combined with heritage events, medical treatment and sporting events.

Still, with better airports, hotels and other infrastructure, India’s inbound tourism could grow as much as 35 percent each year over the next 3 to 5 years, Banerjee said. The privatization process at Mumbai and New Delhi airports are steps in the right direction, he said.

High hotel and air travel costs and poor transportation have prevented the growth of tourism in the country, the government said on Aug. 24. Indian provinces and the federal government need to rationalize tax structures on travel and hotel accommodation to increase the nation’s share in global tourism, former tourism minister Renuka Chowdhury had said.

India’s expected 8.1 percent economic expansion this year is drawing more foreign business travelers and giving locals more money to spend on vacations overseas. India’s tourism industry may expand at 8.8 percent a year in the next decade, behind only the Balkan republic of Montenegro and China, according to the London-based World Travel & Tourism Council.

India’s foreign-exchange earnings from overseas tourists rose 20 percent in 2005 to $5.73 billion, up from $4.76 billion a year earlier, the ministry of tourism said in a statement on Jan. 9. Overseas tourist arrivals during the year rose 13.2 percent to 3.91 million.

Airlines such as British Airways Plc, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Qatar Airways increased the number of flights to India, catering to rising number of business travelers to the country.

( www.financialexpress.com)