These 9 Indian islands set to become tourism hot spot
Q. A Niti Aayog masterplan has selected how many islands in India as tourism growth zones?- Published on 26 Sep 16a. 5
b. 6
c. 7
d. 9
ANSWER: 9
Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been identified as tourism growth zones as part of a Niti Aayog masterplan.
- Nine islands have been selected as the part of the masterplan
- The islands are being seen as drivers of tourism and sustainable economic growth on the lines of countries like Singapore
- Water parks and natural resource will be used to promote tourist initiatives, overcoming limited land areas while being mindful of conservation
- Ecological sensitivity of the islands will also be taken into account while improving options for tourists
- Options in Lakshadweep which sees high end tourism are limited compared to A&N islands
- Andaman and Nicobar islands identified as part of the masterplan were Smith Island, Avis Island and Long Island
- Slotted for development in Lakshadweep are Bangaram, Thinnakara, Suheli, Cheriyam and Minicoy
- Tourist facilities in Lakshadweep are currently limited to Bangaram and a few other islands
- Inclusion of Little Andaman, the biggest island in the chain with area of 734.34 square km was discussed in detail
- It is roughly the size of Singapore
- Singapore has earmarked 10 percent of its area for parks/natural resources and ranks fourth globally in the environment performance index
- 90 percent of Andaman and Nicobar islands are notified as reserved or deemed forest; only 6 percent of the land is available for development.
- Plan gained momentum after the islands were selected for tourism, agriculture and infrastructure as well as renewable energy development
