NEW DELHI: The personal hygiene of Delhi's taxi drivers is an unusual topic for ministerial-level discussion, but recently it has been central to a government debate over how to lure more tourists to India.
Convinced that the body odors of many of the capital's drivers were far from inviting, the tourism minister, Renuka Chowdhury, has started an advertising campaign aimed at persuading those who work in the tourism sector to clean up their act.
The initiative, called "The Guest is God," has been implemented nationwide and offers free training to everyone who comes in regular contact with foreign visitors - taxi drivers, tour guides, shop owners, waiters and customs officials. The message is simple: behave nicely, and tourists - and their money - will return.
India's government has become conscious that it needs to work much harder to squeeze revenue from its tourism industry. Despite its diversity of attractions - ranging from beaches in Goa to Himalayan trekking, yogic retreats and the Taj Mahal - the nation attracts less than 1 percent of global tourism traffic every year.
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