A topic seldom discussed in public, the paper explores the effect of continuity of executives and planners in the management of tourism in India. First among the third world countries, the Government of India undertook, to shoulder the responsibilities of promoting, developing and managing tourism in the country through a full fledged Ministry. Under its direction the state governments also followed the same pattern of management of tourism in their respective states. Senior officers are drawn from coveted services to manage tourism. They come to tourism outfit for short tenure and by the time they have understood the problems, are shifted to other department. The experience gathered thus, goes with them with no benefit to tourism. Tourism has become highly competitive with almost all the countries on this globe market their tourist destinations. Frequent transfers of executives out of the department adversely affects the continuity of plans, policies and strategies of marketing. Every new incumbent sees tourism differently. ‘resulting in failure to contribute to the growth of tourism industry. The highly fragile hospitality and aviation industry requires to be nurtured very carefully. The government downplayed the private sector and almost stymied its growth for nearly half a century. The bureaucracy is so structured that one can not share the authority if one does not belong to the coveted services. Generalists and politicians find it difficult to develop a strategy of Market Driven development in tourism sector. During the last fifty years, ministers and the bureaucracy have praised tourism endlessly only to bury it like Mark Anthony buried Caesar. Most of the successful countries have autonomous tourism authorities to manage tourism. Perhaps the kind of continuity maintained in the economic ministry could be tried with the Ministry of Tourism and in State Governments.

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