Enclavisation of tourism: Special Tourism Zones in India This article argues that the Indian government's planned new

policy of setting up Special Tourism Zones (STZs) along the lines of the country's Special Economic Zones (SEZs) will promote the 'enclavisation of tourism', converting lands, landscapes and common property into exclusive islands of leisure This is a model of tourism development that has !een fought and re"ected !y many communities around the world EQUATIONS I# their insightful !oo$ Seductions of %lace, editors &lan 'ew and (arolyn (artier provide a useful interpretation on 'touristed landscapes') which could !e our starting point to understand enclavisation in tourism 'Tourism as a phenomenon and set of processes has increasingly !ecome em!edded, whether intentionally or unintentionally, in the relationship !etween modernity and place, in how places are created and how they are experienced ' The statement em!odies the reality of how processes in the modern world have created the demand for tourism and leisure products that are fundamentally transforming the places people live in *odernity and the economic processes that are supporting this demand are also simultaneously dictating the form and pace of such tourism developments +lo!ally, the process of enclavisation in tourism has !een a result of the need to create exclusive centres of tourism Enclaves are also often viewed as safe investments, which would ensure a steady, continuous and relia!le flow of income from tourism through all seasons ,owever, enclavisation exploits local resources !ut gives !ac$ little !enefit to the local economy Brief history of enclavisation of tourism around the world & historical analysis of enclavisation in tourism ta$es us !ac$ to the mid-)./0s when, post 1orld 1ar II, the process of decolonisation was gaining strength glo!ally The economic revival of erstwhile colonial powers in 1estern Europe and the emergence of new economic powers li$e the 2S and 3apan created a class of people with high disposa!le incomes that simultaneously generated high demand for leisure and holidays In this scenario, countries across &sia, &frica, the *iddle East and South &merica that had formerly !een colonies and had now gained their political !ut not their economic freedom !ecame ideal locations for creating tourism enclaves to specially satisfy the leisure needs of 1estern tourists The historical lin$ that erstwhile colonial powers had with their former colonies could have !een a possi!le cultural impetus for creation of tourism enclavisation This process was a!etted !y li!eral loans !y international financial institutions li$e the 1orld 4an$ and I*5 to newly independent countries for creating such enclaves, on the argument that tourism growth would create "o!s and !ring in much-needed investment into these nascent economies Thus, the first tourism enclaves of the world were !uilt in 6enya, Egypt, +am!ia, (ari!!ean islands li$e 3amaica, 4ar!ados, the 7ominican 8epu!lic and St 'ucia, *exico, Indonesia, Tunisia, *orocco and Tan9ania to cater to tourists from 4ritain, 5rance, the #etherlands, Spain, %ortugal, +ermany and 3apan - their former colonial powers It did not ta$e long for the first signs of trou!le to appear of how such tourism enclaves were impacting the lives of people in these newly created destinations The intense resource usage !y tourism esta!lishments, the resultant environmental pollution, widened income ine:ualities and socio-cultural effects are some of the adverse impacts that emerged and have !een associated with tourism enclaves around the world Economically, these enclaves were exploitative of the region's natural and la!our resources !ut ended up !eing non-remunerative as communities waited endlessly for some part of what tourists spent on their holidays to 'tric$le down' to them #othing sym!olises the impact of enclavisation in tourism !etter than the case of the infamous Zona ,otelera in (ancun, *exico - an artificial creation that transformed a sleepy settlement of fisherfol$ and coconut farmers into a !an$er's dream of ;0,000 rooms 4etween ).<) and )..;, *exico was granted seven loans for large-scale tourism pro"ects totalling =>?< ? million In ).<;, 5@#&T28 - the national trust fund for tourism development - was set up to oversee the development of large-scale tourism pro"ects across the country and to aggressively see$ foreign and domestic investors as well as secure development loans from international institutions such as the Inter-&merican 7evelopment 4an$ (I74) and 1orld 4an$

In the recent past, these experiences have helped highlight the adverse impacts of enclavisation in tourism 4ut sadly, even with this enlightenment, enclavisation has not stopped !ut has only assumed new forms and found new locations 4ut what is important to consider from the historical experience is that the process of enclavisation in tourism needs a strong economic impetus and a conducive social climate or impetus that demands such leisure products India's earlier experiences The concept of identifying specific exclusive areasA9ones for intensive tourism development is not new in India It was first introduced in the #ational Tourism %olicy of )..B through Special Tourism &reas (ST&s) 1hen the ST& policy was proposed in )..B, some of the identified locations were 4e$al (6erala), Sindhudurg (*aharashtra), 7iu, 6ancheepuram and *aha!alipuram (!oth Tamil #adu) The proposal never too$ off, pro!a!ly due to a lac$ of the necessary economic impetus from the central and state governments 4ut in some identified areas li$e 4e$al and Sindhudurg where the government went all out to implement the policy, communities resisted vociferously 7espite the fact that the government's ST& policy did not have the intended impact, tourism enclaves nonetheless !egan developing spontaneously and organically in places li$e +oa and 6ovalam in 6erala In these cases, enclavisation was a result of the socio-cultural identity that was given to these places as free-for-all tourist destinations, economic incentives that were given to !oost tourism and especially private investment and a rising domestic and international tourist segment It is important to learn from the experiences of local communities in these locations 'et us ta$e the case of 4e$al in 6erala and Sindhudurg in *aharashtra The long-term o!"ective of the government in converting the entire 6on$an coastal !elt into a tourism hu! was reflected in the choice of places li$e 4e$al and Sindhudurg that !order the 6on$an coast, with +oa !eing right in the centre 'argescale infrastructure pro"ects li$e the 6on$an 8ailway and *angalore &irport were seen to facilitate the movement of tourist traffic In 4e$al, a total area of ),000 acres with an ))$m stretch of !each was ac:uired through a 'single window clearance' mechanism, with an initial investment of 8s ),000 crores () crore C )0 million) for development of the ST& The plan was to construct an International Tourist Dillage in 4e$al - a resort of international standard that was to cater to the needs of foreign tourists with facilities li$e adventure sports, golf courses and tennis courtsB 5or the pro"ect to !ecome a reality, ;0,000 farming and fishing families covering four fishing panchayats would have !een rendered homeless and would have lost their traditional livelihood; & writ appeal petition was filed in the 6erala ,igh (ourt in )..? highlighting that the pro"ect was !eing planned and pushed ahead with the greatest of secrecyE it would violate coastal 9one regulations, had not complied with the necessary Environmental Impact &ssessment and superseded the rights of the panchayats 5ollowing sustained struggles !y the affected communities on the ground supported !y larger campaigns against this pro"ect, it was finally withdrawn In Sindhudurg, a stretch of land of F> $m in length and )$m in width, situated on the south 6on$an coastal !elt, was earmar$ed !y the central government for the development of an ST& 'arge acres of agricultural land were ac:uired !y the government for the construction of five-star hotels, resorts and the proposed @ros &irport The tourism development model in the region was to cater specifically to the needs of foreign tourists with the sole intention of !ringing in foreign exchange The image of Sindhudurg as a 'foreign tourist destination' has not only made it completely inaccessi!le to domestic tourists due to its ultraexpensive nature !ut also has gradually adulterated its socio-cultural ethos Tourism activities have caused the displacement of locals from areas li$e *itha!ao, Tar$ali, Shiroda and *alwan, giving rise to antitourism protests and demonstrations in many places In !oth the cases, the pro"ect failed to understand the ethos and concerns of the local community with respect to issues related to livelihood, the environmental degradation to the region and cultural erosion The only motive !ehind the pro"ect was generating greater revenue and creating a tourist hu! along the lines of +oa 4ut what ma$es the current development of tourism through SEZs and STZs (see !elow) much more inimical than any previous government policy is the com!ination of the economic incentives that the SEZ policy has outlined, the already unregulated and im!alanced structure of India's tourism economy, and the changing socio-cultural processes within ur!an India that are ma$ing specific demands on leisure and tourism products

Enter the SEZs and STZs 1hile the country was already witnessing vi!rant and widespread protests against the SEZ &ct B00?, the #ational Tourism &dvisory (ouncil (#T&(), a thin$-tan$ under the *inistry of Tourism (*oT) meant to advise it on policy issues, floated in #ovem!er B00/ the proposal of esta!lishing Special Tourism Zones (STZs) along the lines of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to !oost tourism and increase investment, employment and infrastructure in the country> The #T&('s proposal to the *oT suggested the following?G STZs are to !e located in tourist destinations, cities, along the coastline The government should provide single window clearance for setting up of these 9ones )00H tax exemption for a period of )0 years Each STZ should !e a!le to provide B,000 to ;,000 hotel rooms 5acilities for shopping, entertainment Exemption from import duty on capital goods 1ithdrawal of luxury tax, lower value-added tax, etc Exclusive tourism 9ones for non-resident Indians (#8Is) or elite world tourist 9ones for high-end glo!al tourists It is thought that with these incentives, private investors would come floc$ing to STZs, resulting in improved infrastructure (i e improved even !eyond the infrastructure in existing SEZs), increased economic activities (i e providing an ena!ling environment li$e hotels, amusement par$s, entertainment facilities and shopping malls for !usiness to thrive) and creation of "o!s for the 'dependent communities' in the STZ area & recently released report of the (onfederation of Indian Industry ((II), '4harat #irman %lusG 2nloc$ing 8ural India's +rowth %otential', prepared !y *c6insey I (ompany for (II (which was presented to %rime *inister *anmohan Singh in 3une B00<), tal$s a!out a series of actions and steps to unloc$ the potential of rural India &mong others, it proposes that the central government should esta!lish a #ational Special Tourism Zones &uthority that identifies areas as Special Tourism Zones and enacts a policy to facilitate their esta!lishment and reform 5urther, it suggests a series of policy reforms in five $ey areas, namely power, water, agriculture, wastelands, and tourism, at the central and state level, and it urges panchayats and local community organisations to capture opportunities created !y the central and state governments / (ashing in on this policy initiative and the !lit9$rieg approval that the (ommerce *inistry has !een giving to SEZs, the last )F months have seen many state governments initiating plans to either set up specific STZs or develop tourism within SEZs (see !ox) SEZs and tourism In fact, given the high potential for tourism-related activities in all SEZs and not only STZs, there will !e a su!stantial compounded effect on local communities This is !ecause according to the SEZ &ct and the Special Economic Zone 8ules B00/ (to !e henceforth referred as 8ule), only B?H (as per the new proposal in the case of IT services or SEZ for special products the limit is ;?H) of the total area in any SEZ need !e statutorily used for developing and setting up industrialAmanufacturing units for the designated purpose for which the SEZ was created The rest of the land can !e used for developing infrastructure, where 'infrastructure' according to the same 8ule includes 'social amenities' li$e roads, housing, hospitals, hotels, leisure, and recreation and entertainment facilities The tourism industry has already !egun to ma$e full use of this opportunity and is in the process of !uilding tourism pro"ects, resorts and other esta!lishments within already-existing or upcoming SEZs< The leisure and entertainment tourism li$ely to !e promoted within STZs and SEZs is not of a nature where communities will !enefit or can participate The *u$esh &m!ani-led 8eliance Industries 'td has signed a pact with the ,aryana government to develop India's largest SEZ in over B?,000 acres at a cost of 8s >00 !illion (nearly =. !illion) It will come up near #ational ,ighway F in +urgaon - a satellite township off the capital of ,aryana - and would extend to 3ha"ar district ad"acent to the proposed 6undli-*anesar-%alwal expressway &!out ?H of the area is !eing earmar$ed for leisure and recreation & possi!le tie-up with 7isney, Time 1arner or 2niversal could !e underta$en & golf course will also !e set up in this special 9one F ,ospitality and leisure destinations, educational institutions, offshore !an$ing and insurance, and medical tourism figure high on the priority list of the special 9one, according to officials

The 4angalore city-!ased (entury 4uilding Industries %vt 'td has charted out a plan to set up an SEZ for facilitating the esta!lishment of educational, health and hospitality infrastructure The SEZ would also have a foreign investor as partner The SEZ, planned on a B,?00-acre piece of land, will come up near the proposed 4angalore International &irport, off 7evanahalli 8oad &ccording to a representative of the company, the (entury group was also engaged in developing hotels, with a new <?-room three-star hotel planned in the city . In 4angalore the 6arnata$a government is spending 8s B0,000 crores for setting up six SEZs and many prominent corporates and developers have decided to invest in SEZs in 4angalore To enhance the investment environment in the city, the government plans to increase connectivity !y road, rail and air The road pro"ects across 4angalore and its outs$irts include a four-lane stretch of <>-$m 6undapur-Surat$alE the F?-$m 4angalore-*ul!agal roadE the six-lane road !etween 6 8 %uram and ,os$oteE a four-lane )?<$m #elamangala-,assan roadE and a );)-$m peripheral ring road, critical to decongesting the city *oreover, with more investment into the city, there has !een a dearth of lodging facilities in the hospitality sector Therefore, approximately < 0 million s:uare feet of commercial space was li$ely to have !een a!sor!ed in the B00?-0/ fiscal year in this sector and 4angalore is expected to have B< new hotels, serviced apartments and mixed-use developments with approximately /,)00 rooms in various segments over the next few years )0 The new tourism enclaves The fundamental feature, and flaw, of the SEZ policy is that it see$s to create enclaves of investment, growth and prosperity Therefore 'enclavisation' is inherent in the SEZ policy and this applies as well to STZs and any tourism development that ta$es place within SEZs 4ut to get a more comprehensive picture of the enclavisation of tourism that will ta$e place through this policy, let us examine some characteristic features and commonalities of these tourism proposalsG They all re:uire high investment and are infrastructure-heavy, ma$ing high demands on air, road connectivity and natural resources li$e land, water and power &ll such STZs are adopting 'ur!an imaging strategies' to seduce the tourist 2r!an imaging processes include the development of a critical mass of visitor attractions and facilities, including new !uildingsAflagship centresAshopping malls, stadia, sports complexes, convention centres and the hosting of hallmar$ events 2r!an imaging strategies are therefore conscious efforts !y places to seduce In particular, not only do they see$ to develop something which is attractive, !ut in doing so they aim to pac$age specific representations of a particular way of life or lifestyle of consumption The tourism productsAfacilities coming up in these STZs exemplify this feature through the creation of massive accommodation complexes, shopping malls, convention halls, amusement par$s, s$i-villages, golf courses, and replicas of '7isneylands' and 'Denices' that are culturally incongruous and environmentally damaging)) They are located in su!ur!s, small townships or rural stretches that are near guaranteed sources of tourists, i e , !ig cities li$e 4angalore, 7elhi, *um!ai, or are already part of a standard tourist itinerary (as in the case of ,imachal and 6erala) These characteristics indicate that STZs are coming up to cater to a very specific segment of people, namely !usiness travellers and domestic tourists mainly from !ig metros The location and the nature of products !eing developed all point in this direction It is therefore clear that the impetus for developing tourism through STZs and in SEZs comes from the economic processes that the country is witnessing, which include the increasing visitation !y foreign !usiness representatives and the !urgeoning disposa!le incomes of the middle class in !ig metros that are creating a demand for easy and accessi!le leisure options &s the o!"ective of such tourism development is only to cater to the leisure needs of specific segments of the population, and as the model is thoroughly enclavised, there is little !enefit that such tourism will !ring to local communities @n the contrary, the costs of such a form of tourism are indeed going to !e high Impacts of tourism development through STZs and SEZs Dalorising of the region as a 'tourism destination' - In each of these STZ proposals, the intent of valorising and !randing the developed area as a tourism 9one is clear Thus, for example, the primary identity of +orai, *anali, and all of the villages !eing swallowed up in the 7elhi (ommonwealth +ames Dillage is to !e as 'tourism 9ones'

'and gra! !y STZs and induced displacement - It is now well accepted that tourism has also contri!uted to the process of land-induced displacement in India STZs propose to provide tourism developers with land at su!sidised rates on lease for )? years as per the SEZ model 1hile it might seem that the land re:uirements for tourism activities are not high, this is not true The tourism and entertainment SEZ in +orai-*anori is ac:uiring ),000 hectares, the 7elhi (ommonwealth +ames Dillage STZ re:uires B?0 acres and the ,aryana government's planned Tourism Economic Zone in +urgaon to !uild '7isneyland' is going to gra! huge tracts of land as well although no official figure on the si9e of this pro"ect has yet !een :uoted 5urther, STZs are coming up in coastal and hilly stretches where communities are dependent on natural resources li$e the coast and forests for livelihoods The displacement that these tourism pro"ects would induce would !e in the form of not only direct physical displacement in the ta$eover of land !y the pro"ects !ut also indirectly the loss of access to natural resources that such pro"ects would !ring along & report of the #ational (ampaign on 7alit ,uman 8ights (#(7,8), dated 5e!ruary B00<, has indicated that the much-hyped SEZs in and around 4angalore, which are aimed at triggering economic development, will come as a nightmare to thousands of poor 7alit families in 6arnata$a 3ogan Shan$ar, 7irector of the 4a!asahe! &m!ed$ar 8esearch Institute, says that the SEZs would result in a si9ea!le num!er of 7alits in 6arnata$a losing their agricultural lands, which had !een given to them !y the government some time ago to provide them with social and economic security under a welfare scheme Employment - 1hat meaningful high-end and s$ill-!ased employment can local communities currently living in tourism areas hope for in shopping malls, amusement par$s, spas and luxury !usiness hotelsJ In an industry that is already !iased against local communityAuns$illed la!our, STZs will only increase the division without integrating capacity-!uilding measures +enerally, it is o!served that the employment opportunities have also !een limited to low-end "o!s li$e house$eeping and support services li$e cleaning, gardening, security and the occasional guide services, except in cases where developers have ta$en special effort to !uild the capacity of the local communities on s$ills and language)B There is growing evidence that la!our laws and regulations are !eing significantly diluted !y many state governments to !enefit 'unhampered and even unaccounta!le' SEZ growth in the country This too has relevance for tourism, as there are significant issues of la!our rights and protection li$e contract la!our, wages, wor$ing hours, gender disparity and discrimination, child la!our (which is particularly high in hotels and the restaurant sector) and even sexual exploitation that arise in tourism and need formal redress within la!our laws If STZs are to !e a leading model for tourism development, there is even less possi!ility of these issues !eing addressed STZs, in fact, are li$ely to shrin$ the space for the organised wor$ing class The fate of the large sections of informal and unorganised la!our in the tourism industry is thus li$ely to !ecome even more pitia!le Environmental impacts - The location, si9e and components within STZs are high cause for concern when it comes to the environmental fallout from these pro"ects 5urther, as per the SEZ &ct, none of the sections lays down that environmental regulations are applica!le on the units within an SEZ 8ather, the wordings in Section >. and the SEZ rules categorically state that SEZ areas are outside the purview of the environmental regulations of the country There are no provisions for monitoring the cumulative environmental impacts of all units coming under one SEZ or periodic review of the ecological effects of functioning of these industries in such 9ones 5urther, large-scale services-related activities li$e tourism lead to excessive use of water, increased deforestation and environmental pollution in these areas without any regulatory !lan$et 1ith respect to STZs, the matter is even more serious, with the recent Environment Impact &ssessment (EI&) #otification B00/ excluding tourism pro"ects from the re:uirement of EI& clearances Thus, the democratic spaces availa!le to communities to decide on tourism development or voice their dissentAconsent to pro"ects under the availa!le Environmental (learance 8egulations are not applica!le to tourism industries This change would !ring a wider range of pro"ects that are not directly tourism-!ased !ut related to it, li$e shopping malls, entertainment facilities and amusement par$s, within the !rac$et of tourism to avail of this exemption Institutional hegemony and !ypassing democratic processes - @ne of the most critical aspects of the SEZ policy and cause for serious contention has !een the institutional arrangements the &ct has made and state governments have set in place to expedite the process of setting up SEZs The SEZ &ct and its implementation are raising serious concerns a!out the phenomenon of centralisation of power It is clear that local institutions are going to !e !ypassed !y the proposed 'single window clearance' mechanism, which is !eing stressed for all tourism infrastructure developments Tourism !enefits local communities

only if the activities underta$en are suited to their a!ilities, s$ills and priorities and ta$e into account regional specificities of ecology, culture and society The transfer of power from local %anchayati 8a" institutions (%8Is, the units of governance at the village level) to Tourism 7evelopment &uthorities in such 9ones, as is happening in tourism-intensive areas li$e 6erala and ,ampi, (hil$a 'a$e, and 6evadia (+u"arat), has huge implication for local communities' participation in decision-ma$ing on issues such as control of natural resources li$e water and land (on which the tourism industry is highly dependent) @f further concern is the issue of su!stituting and prioritising tourism development plans over the general development plans in any area that is identified to have tourism potential The 6erala (onservation and %reservation of Tourism &reas &ct B00? is a case in point as it gives overriding powers to supra committees to declare areas as special tourism 9ones, usurping the existing constitutional powers of local !odies to prioritise, plan and regulate developmental activities The recommendation !y the 1or$ing +roup on Tourism, in its report to the %lanning (ommission on the country's KI 5ive Lear %lan, to replicate such an &ct in other states points to the growing tendency to centralise such decisions Campaign efforts to oppose STZs and SEZs in India &t the national level, the STZ proposal has !een seriously contested !y civil society around the country urging the *oT, the %arliamentary Standing (ommittee on Transport, Tourism and (ulture and State Tourism 7epartments to seriously reconsider this proposal 2nder mounting pressure, the *inister of Tourism, in a statement in %arliament and letter to the (hairman of the %arliamentary Standing (ommittee on Transport, Tourism and (ulture, stated that STZs had only come up as a matter of recommendation from the #T&( and that the *inistry was yet to ta$e any decision with regard to STZs ,owever, that !y no means implied that the matter has !een settled The recent ventures !y state governments are a clear indication that STZs have not !een a!andoned !ut are instead !eing pushed and promoted !y the state governments in different forms &t the local level, in +orai, for example, the local community has voiced serious opposition to the esta!lishment of the SEZ The +orai 4achao Sangharsh Samiti (ommittee has !een spreading awareness among the local community on the potential implications of the tourism SEZ in the region 8esidents are concerned that +orai's mangroves and !eaches will !e destroyed once tourists start arriving +orai village residents, all fourth-generation fishermen or farmers, second this view); In ,imachal, the s$i village pro"ect has !een opposed !y the local community They fear that the s$i village would pollute the local culture and sacred spots on hilltops which !elonged to the deities, and that the traditional lifestyle of villagers in the locality would !e affected !y the pro"ect that would attract large num!ers of tourists from a!road The 3an 3agran *anch (33*), 6ullu, which is opposing the pro"ect along with the local community, has stepped up its campaign against the pro"ect and has threatened to file a pu!lic interest litigation against the pro"ect in the ,igh (ourt &ccording to the locals who have opposed the pro"ect since it was floated way !ac$ in B00?, the pro"ect would spell disaster in the area as hotels and chalets would !e sold to outsiders that would ruin the fragile ecology )> Conclusions &s has !een the case with how tourism enclaves started off historically, in India the setting up of STZs is the result of the strong economic impetus !eing given to the industry and the need that the modern professional life of a certain portion of the country's wor$ing class has created for leisure This is coupled with the availa!ility of disposa!le incomes that can !e expended on leisure options and the economic incentives for investment that the SEZ policy has provided The very intent !ehind the creation of STZs as an easy leisure outlet for a certain segment of the population, when weighed against the costs that these enclaves are !ound to have on identity, culture, ethos, environment, and livelihoods and political rights of the communities living in these areas, is the primary and strongest reason for opposing them The identity and raison d'Mtre of a place cannot revolve around tourism, communities cannot !e converted to hosts, and tourism cannot !e allowed to dictate the overall development process in any area It can only !e one of the factors in the development and economic process and cannot !e given such overriding powers &ny such policy move calls for an intense pu!lic consultation and de!ate with the local people and their representatives

EN2&TI@#S is a 4angalore, India-!ased non-profit organisation engaged in research and advocacy on tourism impacts and issues EmailG infoOe:uita!letourism org 1e!siteG www e:uita!letourism org The a!ove is an edited version of a paper presented at the ?th International (ritical +eographies (onference, held in *um!ai, India on ;-< 7ecem!er B00< The EN2&TI@#S research team for this paper comprised &nanya 7asgupta and Didya 8angan The paper draws su!stantially from an earlier advocacy paper !y EN2&TI@#S titled 'Se(i)9ing IndiaP 1hy the government should reconsider tourism development through SEZs and STZs', #ovem!er B00/ Endnotes ) 'ew and (artier define the term 'touristed landscapes' as places that are leisure-oriented, places that promise escape from daily life - for a wee$, day, or even an hour - as they exist in our areas of residence and our regions of wor$, as well as more distant destinations B The 4e$al 8esorts 7evelopment (orporation (487() !rochure stated the '4e$al +ame %lan' as follows - 'Identify, ac:uire and develop potential resort sites, strengthen infrastructure through roads, power, water supply and sewage systems, invite promoters and investors and mar$et 4e$al as an international destination' ; '4e$al Tourism %ro"ectG &n S@S call', EN2&TI@#S &#'etter Dolume II Issue >, #ovem!er )../ > 8efer '4orrowing SEZ idea, (entre starts wor$ing on Special Tourism Zones', < #ovem!er B00/, Indian Express, #ew 7elhi ? Id B / 8efer '(II 8eport %resented To The %rime *inisterG India #eeds 4harat #irman %lus for Inclusive +rowth', ) 3une B00<, httpGAAcii inAfullQstory phpJmenuQidC<FInewsQidC<> < 5or instance, real-estate giant 7'5 is tying up with the ma"or hotel chain ,ilton to !uild hotels across the country for its SEZ !usiness In line with this, 7'5 has already signed an *o2 with the %un"a! government for an )),000 multi-product SEZ at &mritsar and two others at &m!ala and +urgaon 8efer '7'5 li$ely to tie up with ,ilton', httpGAAnews "imtrade comAB00/0/A)?;? htm F 8efer '8eliance In$s %act for =. !illion Special Zone in ,aryana', ). 3une B00/, 4usiness *onday, %un"a!, India, httpGAAwww indiaenews comA!usinessAB00/0/).A)).;> htm . 8efer '(entury 4uilding plans to set up SEZ', 4usiness 'ine, 4angalore, )? 7ecem!er B00/ )0 8efer '4angalore (4engaluru) In 5uture', httpGAAwww indianground comA!angaloreA!angaloreQinQfuture aspx )) Interestingly, in (hina, more than )?0 !illion yuan ()0 !illion pounds sterling) has !een invested in a!out B,?00 theme par$s @f these, <0H are in de!t, B0H in !alance and only )0H in profit (hanging mar$et demand for freshness and novelty re:uires them to renovate and replace their facilities and maintain a perpetually youthful image, Sui 5a!o, 7irector of the (hina #ational 8ide Inspection +roup, said in a speech to the International &ssociation of &musement %ar$s and &ttractions B00? The failures of 7isney theme par$s in %aris and ,ong 6ong are cases in point and the company is on the prowl for new pastures )B 8efer '& 1T@-+&TS-Tourism Impact &ssessment 5ramewor$ for 7eveloping (ountries', EN2&TI@#S and EE7, @cto!er B00? ); 'Should +orai !e a tourist destinationJ', 3ana$i 5ernandes, *arch B00? )> 8efer 'Threat to file %I' against s$i village', 6uldeep (hauhan, Tri!une #ews Service, httpGAAwww tri!uneindia comAB00<AB00<0>)<Ahimachal htmR/ )? 8efer 'Special tourism 9ones would !oost 6erala's economy', B0 Septem!er B00/, www domain! com httpGAAwww domain-! comAindustryAtourismAB00/0.B0Q9ones html )/ &s ta$en from the *um!ai (ity 7evelopment %lan ((7%), 'the scope of this pro"ect could easily extend to esta!lishment of an Entertainment SEZ, with focus on tourism and entertainment This is !ased on the fact that su!stantial potential exists in *um!ai in the form of entertainment industry and the film and television industry The exports potential in the entertainment sector has !een growing and this needs to !e tapped and supported through the SEZ %articularly the animation film industry has potential for development in SEZ' )< 8efer '(handra pitches for gaming SEZ', 4usiness Standard, )> *arch B00/ )F 8efer 'ITI' to develop tourism SEZ', Express ,ospitality, )/-;0 Septem!er B00< ). I!id

B0 8efer ',imalayan s$i village pro"ect goes to 5ord', B? *ay B00/, httpGAAwww gu"aratlive comAviewnews aspJnewsidCF)>IidCB>) also refer to 'It's +od vs man over s$i resort', )F 5e!ruary B00/, 3yoti 6amal, (##-I4#, httpGAAwww humanrights$erala comAindex phpJ optionCcomQcontentItas$ CviewIidC);F.IItemidC>