Initiatives to Boost Tourism Sector in the Country

Development of tourism is an ongoing activity undertaken by the Government. Ministry of Tourism has taken several steps/initiatives over the years to make the country visitor friendly and to boost tourism sector in the country, details of which are: (i) Launched Dekho Apna Desh initiative with the objective of creating awareness among the citizens about the rich heritage and culture of the country and encourage citizens to travel within the country. (ii) Conducting Programmes under the ‘Capacity Building for Service Providers’ (CBSP) Scheme to train and upgrade manpower to provide better service standards. (iii) Launched Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Programme, a digital initiative that aims at creating an online learning platform with the objective of creating a pool of well-trained professional tourist facilitators across the country to support tourists. (iv) 24x7 toll free Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline. (v) E-Visa is presently available under seven sub-categories i.e. e-Tourist Visa, e- Business Visa, e-Medical Visa, e-Medical Attendant Visa, e-Conference Visa, e- Ayush Visa and e-Ayush Attendant Visa. e-Tourist visa is available under 3 options – (i) 05 years with multiple entry; (ii) 1 year with multiple entry and (iii) one month with double entry. (vi) Under RCS UDAN Tourism, Ministry of Tourism has collaborated with Ministry of Civil Aviation and has got 53 tourism routes operational for better connectivity of important tourist places including Iconic sites. (vii) The Ministry of Tourism is also promoting cultural and heritage tourism by providing financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations/Central Agencies under the ‘Swadesh Darshan’, ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’ and ‘Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development’ Schemes for the development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities to provide an enriching tourism experience to the visitors. (viii) Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to States/UTs for organizing fairs & festivals and tourism related events such as seminars, conclaves, conventions etc. under the Domestic Promotion & Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) scheme. This information was given by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.