Skift India Report: India Pushes Cleanliness Standards for Tourism Businesses

17.10.2023 - 07:55 / skift.com / Peden Doma Bhutia

India is looking to institute a “Swachhata (Cleanliness) Rating Framework” designed to evaluate tourism businesses, such as hotels and homestays, according to Tourism Secretary V Vidyavathi.

This framework aligns with the “Travel for LiFE” principles, a key component of the Sustainable Tourism Policy, underscoring the imperative of clean and hygienic establishments, Vidyavathi said to reporters on the sidelines of a CII Tourism Summit.

The Travel for LiFE initiative supports the development of smart destinations that are responsible and sustainable.

Who Will Be Assessed? The impending framework will encompass businesses of all sizes and underscore the importance of maintaining cleanliness within establishments and surrounding areas. Ratings will be contingent on multiple criteria, encompassing waste disposal practices.

So Far… This initiative remains in the developmental phase, with the tourism ministry engaging in consultations with diverse departments and stakeholders.

India Prioritizing Cleanliness: The government of India has initiated several programs and campaigns aimed at improving cleanliness and sanitation in the country.

One of the most prominent initiatives is the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign), launched in 2014. This campaign has made significant strides in promoting cleanliness and building millions of toilets across the country, particularly in rural areas. The program also aims to change people’s behavior towards sanitation and waste management.

In addition to the national campaign, many Indian cities have initiated their own cleanliness drives and waste management programs.

A Parliamentary standing committee had earlier recommended that the government start a cleanliness ranking of railway stations across the country.

India is expected to be the fastest-growing source markets for San Francisco. In 2022, the country ranked third among San Francisco’s top overseas visitor markets with 158,000 visitors. This is expected to grow by 34% in 2023, with a projected spending increase of 63%.

India visit: The San Francisco Travel Association and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) last week visited Mumbai and New Delhi on a sales mission.

Improved Connections: Indian full-service carrier Air India has recently expanded its network to San Francisco from three destinations in India – Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The carrier has almost doubled its operation to San Francisco from 9 flights a week to 17. The seat capacity has also doubled from 2,142 seats to 4,396 flights a week.

Traffic Jump: With 1,102 daily passengers from India to the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a 186% increase in traffic compared from pre-pandemic to the first half of this current year.

Positioning San