GOVERNMENT
Odisha allocates INR 1,500 cr to make religious destinations ready post-COVID News Desk
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hile the state government for the development of religious tourist destinations had sanctioned INR 200 and 350 crores in 2019 and 2020 respectively, this year encompassing all religious projects, the Government of Odisha has sanctioned a budget of INR 1,500 crores to
make religious destinations ready post-COVID, informed Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Minister of Tourism, Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Government of Odisha. He was speaking at the Second Travel, Tourism & Hospitality e-Conclave organized by FICCI recently. "While the sector reels under the effects of COVID-19, we have
Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi Minister of Tourism Odisha
been doing the background work needed to elevate the state's tourist destinations. Puri is the first city in the country to boast of direct tap drinking water. We are now trying to replicate the same in other tourist destinations as well," added Panigrahi. The minister says that even though international travel has
taken a backseat, domestic travel and tourism is slowly on the rise. The projects that Odisha is taking up currently will help the tourism sector in a positive way. He further says that Odisha Government is endeavouring to make the sector future-proof while improving the livelihood of local communities. “We have drafted the Odisha Tourism Development Facilitation and Regulation Bill that will empower the Government to register service providers, regulate activities in tourist areas, facilitate bonafide investment proposals and ensure tourist safety against malpractices," concludes Panigrahi.
Uttarakhand extends monetary Goa seeks restart of foreign arrivals from safe countries assistance for tourism sector News Desk
News Desk
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oa’s tourism stakeholders have called on the Union and state governments to reopen the state’s tourism industry to foreign arrivals, especially from those countries that have welcomed people from India over the last year and a half.
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atpal Maharaj, Cabinet Minister for Tourism, Pilgrimage & Religious Fairs, Culture, Government of Uttarakhand said the state has extended various fiscal and monetary assistance to the tourism sector and has taken several steps to aid the sector. A package of INR 200 crore has been arranged for COVIDaffected service providers like adventure tour operators, and river guides, among others. He was speaking at the Second Travel, Tourism & Hospitality e-Conclave organised by FICCI,recently. Whule addressing the gathering he further informed that various policies have been undertaken by the state to help the sector revive. "Among the various policies and subsidies that the state has undertaken, Uttarakhand offers policies to attract and support the film industry to shoot in Uttarakhand. Additionally, we
4 August 2021
have provided a subsidy of INR 10 lakhs in hilly terrains and INR 7.5 lakhs in plains under the Deendayal Homestay Yojana. 3,400 homestays have been registered so far under this scheme," he said.
A delegation of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), a body of tourism industry business leaders, and the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry called on Goa chief minister to impress upon him to restart foreign arrivals, something that is seen as crucial for the state’s small and medium hotel industry to survive.
Further, speaking of the latest trends in tourism, Maharaj said that people are also now looking forward to staycations and workations. "Under the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Yojana, we have started online registrations. We have also developed various circuits to boost local travel," he said.
To encourage tourists to travel, the TTAG has suggested a special charter tourist package visa to be worked out which can be issued manually by the local embassies or temporary landing permits can be issued on arrival to tourists, as done in the past. According to industry estimates, the tourism sector employs over
Satpal Maharaj Minister for Tourism Govt of India
40 million skilled and trained manpower and generates approximately US $29 billion foreign exchange per annum for the country. The industry is facing severe financial constraints and even a limited reopening of the industry would go a long way in improving the health of the industry, the stakeholders said. They have sought that the Goa government should now announce a conditional reopening of the state for foreign tourists, subject to the Coronavirus situation being under control in order that they can plan for the upcoming season. No new foreign tourists have set foot in Goa since March last year after the country shut its borders to leisure travel and stopped issuing tourist visas. Prior to the pandemic, the state witnessed close to 90-lakh tourists including around 9-lakh foreigners.
