Will voting Taj among 7 wonders help tourism?

The Taj might get voted in as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. CNBC-TV18 finds out what it will mean for the travel and tourism industry.

Even though it is the most photographed tourist attraction in India, the Taj Mahal attracts only 2.4 million of the 5 million foreign travellers who visit India.

If the Taj Mahal becomes one of the new wonders of the world, it could help boost the number of visitors the monument receives. But if the government wants capitalise on the opportunity, it will have to make more efforts to improve road and air links to the city that hosts it - Agra.

Mercury Travels' CEO Aashutosh Akshikar says, "Again, we get back to the basic - it is a combination of doing things right outside and on the ground in terms of infrastructure, which will help get the numbers up. There are no two ways about it."

While the Taj Mahal is the 50th most visited tourist site in the world, it fares badly when compared to other candidates for the New Seven Wonders list.

Last year, the Great Wall of China had over ten million visitors, while the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty got over six million tourists each.

India's travel and tourism industry is expected to generate USD 6.1 billion this year and is likely to account for 5.4% of India's GDP. And, being one of the new seven wonders of the world can always help these numbers go up.