The minister of Tourism and Culture Smt. Ambika Soni has called upon the Tour operators to sustain boom in tourism through effective planning and coordination within the industry. She was speaking after inaugurating the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) here today. Smt. Soni said, the tourism sector is having multiplier effect on the Economy and its contribution to the GDP is one of the highest and its ability to generate employment is perhaps bigger than that of the IT sector. She said as per Tourist Satellite Account System the sector has generated about 50 million jobs directly or indirectly in last three years.
Referring to the recent achievements of the ministry Smt. Soni said, the recently notified tax abatement upto 75% and the signing of the Ordinance on ‘Bed & Breakfast’ by Lt. Governor of Delhi are major achievements to encourage growth in the Tourism Sector.
The minister said, the tour operators should take cognizance of the need for maintaining ecological balance while pursuing Eco, Adventure and Wildlife Tourism. She also urged them to support Ministry of tourism campaign for clean environment and anti-graffiti at monuments. She said, the industry’s feed back will help us to better understand the issues that are crucial to the growth of the sector.
Delhi’s Lt. Governor Sh. Tejendra Khanna and Tourism ministers from several States also spoke on the occasion.
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KP/BK
(Release ID :30794)