Practice Test 10

Tourism is one of the fastest-growing and most employment-intensive sectors of the Indian economy, contributing significantly to foreign exchange earnings, gross domestic product, and the preservation of the country's rich cultural and natural heritage. India's extraordinary diversity of landscapes, historic monuments, living religious traditions, wildlife sanctuaries, coastal environments, and cultural festivals makes it a destination that offers a meaningful and distinctive experience to nearly every category of traveller from every part of the world. The ancient temples of Khajuraho and Hampi, the majestic Mughal monuments of Agra, Delhi, and Fatehpur Sikri, the fairy-tale palaces and forts of Rajasthan, the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, the high-altitude tea gardens of Darjeeling and Munnar, the unique tribal cultures of the northeastern states, and the pristine beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands collectively present a travel experience of unparalleled richness and diversity. The government's Incredible India tourism promotion campaign, launched in 2002 and periodically refreshed with new creative content, has successfully repositioned the country as a premium and aspirational tourism destination in international markets across Europe, North America, East Asia, and the Middle East. The e-visa facility, now extended to citizens of over one hundred and sixty countries, has dramatically simplified entry procedures, reduced visa costs, and contributed to significant growth in foreign tourist arrivals over the past decade. Domestic tourism has expanded even more dramatically than international tourism, with hundreds of millions of Indians travelling within the country each year to religious pilgrimage sites, hill stations, wildlife reserves, heritage cities, and beach destinations, generating enormous economic activity in transportation, accommodation, food, and retail sectors across the country. The Swadesh Darshan scheme has developed integrated themed tourism circuits focusing on spiritual, eco, adventure, tribal, rural, coastal, and cultural tourism, improving infrastructure along these circuits and creating new employment opportunities in destination communities. The PRASAD scheme specifically aims to develop and modernise infrastructure at important religious pilgrimage destinations, improving the experience of the hundreds of millions of devotees who visit shrines at Varanasi, Amritsar, Tirupati, Shirdi, Ajmer, and other sacred sites every year. Medical tourism has emerged as a significant segment, with India attracting patients from across South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East who seek high-quality specialised medical treatment at costs significantly lower than those prevailing in Western countries or even in some neighbouring countries.