TOURISM INDIA MAGAZINE JULY 2013 ISSUE

Page 1

www.tourismindia.travel

Vol. 16

No. 03

Thiruvananthapuram

www.tourismindiaonline.com

July 2013

Pages 20+4

Reg. No. KL/TV (N) 432/2012-2014

Price: (India) Rs.50 (Overseas) US $5 £3 Dh10

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nion Tourism Minister Mr. K. Chiranjeevi has said that safety of tourists, particularly for foreign women tourists, is an area of concern. Chairing the meeting of National Tourism Advisory Council (NTAC), he said that a few recent incidents, where foreign women tourists were sexually assaulted, have generated widespread negative publicity for India. Mr. Chiranjeevi said, “As law and order is a State subject, I have written to all Chief Ministers to take effective steps to create conducive and friendly atmosphere for all tourists”. The Tourism Minister said the Tourism sector in India has witnessed substantial growth in the last decade. The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2012 have reached 6.58 million. The estimated number of domestic tourist visits in 2012 was 1027 million. He said, “ Although the growth of in-bound tourism in India has been higher than the overall growth in the world, the share of India at 0.64% continues to be low. We have to strive harder to increase this share.” The Minister was of the opinion that huge size of domestic tourism helps to sustain the Indian tourism industry even when there is negative or low growth in in-bound tourism. He said, “We will, therefore, continue to promote domestic tourism also”.

Referring to religious tourism he said a substantial component of domestic travel is for pilgrimages. There is a need to enhance amenities and facilities at major pilgrimage centres. Uttarakhand, which is visited by a large number of pilgrims, has witnessed widespread damage in recent floods. He said, “As you may be aware, Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a special financial package of Rs. 100 crore for restoration and reconstruction of the affected Government tourist facilities in Uttarakhand. This will be in addition to the Central Financial Assistance of about Rs. 95 crore already sanctioned during the current financial Contd. on Page 16

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nion Tourism Minister Mr. K. Chiranjeevi has urged the State Governments and UTs to enact the cadre of Tourist Police in one form or other. Inaugurating the day long National Conference of State Tourism Ministers, he said that this can be done either by borrowing some companies from the Police Department or hiring ex-servicemen or home guards. The Tourist Police can be deployed visibly in places where vicious incidents can happen. The Minister said “If in spite of our best efforts, such incidents occur, we must take immediate action to

bring the culprits to the book and ensure speedy court trials. While doing so, we must show our sensitivity towards the feelings of the victim and respect their dignity and privacy.” Referring to the recent incidents of assault on women tourists which has seriously damaged our image the Minister said “It is not only important that we provide security to the tourists but it is also important that we

must instill a sense of confidence in them.” Mr. Chiranjeevi said that the second important issue which has become a serious cause of concern and due to which we are losing business to other markets is cleanliness and hygiene. He said heaps of garbage at tourist destinations, open defecation at the beaches, morning soils on the railway tracks etc. discourage the Contd. on Page 16

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