Read the passage given below:
Tourism is travel for recreation, leisure, religious, family or business purposes, normally for a limited duration. Tourism is generally associated with International travel, but may also refer to travel to another place within the same country. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people “travelling to and staying at places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes.”
1. Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. Tourism can either be domestic or international and international tourism can be classified as either inbound or outbound tourism. Today inbound tourism is a major source of income for many countries. Especially in terms of foreign exchange earned by the country as a whole. It also has a substantial impact on the local economy and employment of a place frequently visited by tourists.
2. India is a country with a rich cultural heritage which has always fascinated travelers. It is a unique land of diversities where all kinds of natural beauty including desert, sea, forests, mountains, flowers, wildlife is present within a single geographical boundary of a country. Anybody visiting India will have experience of different dresses, culture, flora and fauna in different states. Thus India has always been a destination for tourists who want to enjoy this combination of culture, tradition and rich heritage. Not only this, foreign tourist’s act as “Ambassadors of Indian Culture” and take the message further across the world.
3. Indian government has made various efforts to take advantage of these unique possessions to promote tourism. One such big initiative is the scheme of e-Tourist Visa. The measure has been introduced to make travelling to India easier and simpler for foreign tourists.
4. The entire scheme began with the demand by the tourism industry to liberalize the visa regime for foreign tourists to give a boost to tourism in the country. In response, “Visa-On Arrival” was initiated by the government and is now made available to forty-four countries. “Visa On-Arrival” means that you need a visa to enter but it is possible to apply for and receive the visa only when you show up in the country of visit itself.
2.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions:
i. What do you understand by ‘tourism’?
ii. How is the economy of a country affected by tourism?
iii. Can India be a popular tourist destination? Give 2 reasons.
iv. Give any two factors that help boost tourism in India.
2.2 Choose the right option from the given alternatives: i. Identify the word which means the same as “consecutive”
a. Period of time one after the other without interruption
b. Period of time with some interruption
c. Period of an event with some interruption
d. Period of an event with no interruption at all
ii. Identify the word which is the synonym of “frequently”.
a. Daily
b. Habitual
c. Sometimes
d. Always
iii. Identify the word which is the antonym of “simpler”
a. Complicated
b. Plane
c. Possible
d. Foolish
iv. Identify the word which means the same as “liberalize”. It allows:
a. People more freedom.
b. People more opportunity.
c. Selected people some opportunity.
d. Only limited freedom
