(a) the steps taken by the Government to revive foreign and domestic tourism in the country;
(b) whether the Government has identified any tourist spots for promoting tourism in Karnataka and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has formulated any special scheme to promote tourism in Karnataka; and
(d) the other steps taken by the Government to boost tourism sector in the country?
MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)
(a): The Ministry of Tourism promotes India as a holistic tourism destination including the various tourism sites and products of every State/Union Territory of the country in the domestic and international markets. Additionally, the Ministry of Tourism has taken following initiatives to promote/revive foreign and domestic tourism in the country:
i. Market Development Assistance (MDA) Guidelines for promotion of India as a tourism destination in the overseas markets and Market Development Assistance (MDA) Guidelines for promotion of domestic tourism have been revised to increase the scope and reach of these guidelines to benefit larger number of tourism stakeholders.
ii. The Ministry of Tourism had launched the Dekho Apna Desh initiative, which is being promoted extensively on social media accounts and website of the Ministry and by Domestic India Tourism Offices. Under this initiative Ministry has been organizing webinars, quiz, pledge, discussions, road shows to keep connected with the stakeholders and to encourage citizens to travel within the country. More than 100 Webinars under the Dekho Apna Desh brand line have been organized by the Ministry, since its launch.
iii. The Ministry of Tourism organizes various activities like road shows, Fam trips, B2B Meetings, Quiz programmes, webinars between paired States/UTs to promote Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.
iv. Promotional campaigns are carried out on social media handles of the Ministry and Domestic Offices promoting destinations, products, festivals, cuisines etc. of the country.
v. The Ministry of Tourism organizes Bharat Parv and Paryatan Parv in collaboration with the States/UTs and other Central Ministries/Departments for last four years to showcase the rich culture, history, heritage to the citizens. The objective of these events is to draw focus on the benefits of Tourism and reinforcing the principle of tourism for all.
vi. To create awareness among the masses the Ministry celebrates special events / days with citizen’s participation like International Day of Yoga, World Tourism Day, Constitution Day, Independence Day, commemoration of 125 years of Birth of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and other regional festivals.
vii. The Ministry of Tourism and the Regional Offices are regularly communicating with the Travel Industry and other stakeholders on issues related to opening up of tourism sector, handling of tourists, protocols of safety and security, service standards etc. The Ministry has also been coordinating with the Stakeholders and States/UTs for promoting itineraries to nearby destinations from the major cities.
viii. Ministry of Tourism organized “Tapping the Tourism Potential of Kashmir: Another day in Paradise” event at Srinagar, Kashmir from 11th-13th April 2021 to showcase Jammu & Kashmir as a destination for Heritage, Golf, Cuisine, Adventure, Wedding, etc. Similarly, the Ministry of Tourism organised a mega tourism event at Leh, Ladakh titled: “Ladakh: New Start, New Goals” from 26th-28th August 2021 to promote tourism to Ladakh as a tourist destination with focus on aspects of adventure, culture and responsible tourism.
ix. The Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with IRCTC organized a Buddhist Circuit Fam Tour and Conference from 4th - 8th October 2021 at Bodhgaya and Varanasi. The event was attended by approx. 200 delegates which included tour operators from other parts of the country, local tour operators and other stakeholders of tourism sector media, officials of Ministry of Tourism. During the event Ministry also organized an interactive session with students of Nalanda University and BHU.
x. On the occasion of the inauguration of the Kushinagar Airport by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Ministry of Tourism organized a two-day conference on ‘Tourism in Buddhist Circuits – A way forward’ in Kushinagar highlighting Buddhist Circuit and its potential to draw Buddhist pilgrims and scholars around the world.
xi. Ministry of Tourism organized a meeting of the Tourism & Culture Ministers of the North Eastern States on 13th & 14th September 2021 at Guwahati, Assam to discuss development of tourism and connectivity related issues in the North Eastern Region.
xii. Ministry of Tourism organized International Tourism Mart 2021 held at Kohima, Nagaland from 27th to 29th November 2021 to showcase the tourism potential of North Eastern States of India at the international level.
(b) & (c): Ministry of Tourism promotes all tourist spots in the country including Karnataka through its media campaigns, websites, road shows, social media promotions and Dekho Apna Desh initiative to attract more tourists. Ministry of Tourism also organized a Conference of Tourism and Culture Ministers of Southern Region on 28th & 29th October 2021 at Bengaluru, Karnataka with the objective to discuss development of tourism sector and culture related issues in the Region. The conference was attended by the Tourism and Culture Ministers of Southern Region, Officials from various Central Ministries, State Governments, Union Territory Administrations (UTs), Media and industry stakeholders. The two days’ conference had presentations by various Central Ministries, State Govts/UTs. An interactive session was also held with the local stakeholders to discuss their issues and requirements for promotion of tourism.
Under the Adopt a Heritage project, Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is developing tourist amenities at heritage/tourist sites in a planned and phased manner in partnership with private players. Under the project, following seven (7) Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) have been awarded to Monument Mitras in the State of Karnataka:
i. Hampi & Hazara Rama Temple
ii. Krishna Temple, Hampi
iii. Elephanta Stables, Hampi
iv. Pattabhirama Temple, Hampi
v. Zenana Enclosure (Lotus Mahal), Hampi
vi. Ugra Narsimha Temple, Hampi
vii. Badavilinga Temple, Hampi
Under ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, two webinars have been conducted on Karnataka titled: ‘Mysuru: Craft Caravan of Karnataka’ and ‘From Mysuru to Mysore’ to encourage citizens and stakeholders to explore the beautiful destinations and tourism products of Karnataka.
In addition, Ministry of Tourism is also focussing on the development of tourism related infrastructure under its schemes of Swadesh Darshan and National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) which were launched in January 2015.
(d): The Ministry of Tourism has taken other steps/initiatives to boost tourism in the country as per details given below:
i. 24x7 toll free Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline to assist tourists.
ii. Providing facility of e-Visa for 5 sub-categories i.e. e-Tourist visa, e-Business visa, e-Medical visa, e-Medical Attendant visa and e-Conference visa for nationals of 156 countries.
iii. Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Programme, a Pan-India digital initiative to provide basic, advanced, spoken foreign language and refresher courses for creating a pool of trained and certified tourist facilitators which would help in creating employment opportunities at the local level.
iv. Conducting Programmes under the ‘Capacity Building for Service Providers’ (CBSP) Scheme to train and up-grade manpower to provide better service standards.
v. On the recommendation of the Ministry of Tourism, 46 tourism routes have been awarded to the identified airlines by Ministry of Civil Aviation under the RCS UDAN Scheme. 29 of these routes have been operationalized till date.
vi. National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry (NIDHI) Portal to create a comprehensive national database of accommodation units in the country to be used for promotion and development of tourism.
vii. System for Assessment, Awareness and Training for Hospitality Industry (SAATHI) launched in association with the Quality Council of India, to sensitize the industry on the COVID regulations of the government and instil confidence amongst the staff and guests that the hospitality unit has exhibited intent towards ensuring safety and hygiene at the workplace.
viii. Government of India has introduced "Loan Guarantee Scheme for Covid Affected Tourism Service Sector (LGSCATSS)". Under this loan guarantee scheme, loan upto Rs.10.00 lakh is being extended to Tour Operators/ Travel Agents/ Tourist Transport Operators approved/recognized by the Ministry of Tourism, upto Rs.1.00 lakh to Regional Tourist Guide/ Incredible India Tourist Guide approved/recognized by the Ministry of Tourism and Tourist Guides approved/ recognized by the State Govt./ UT Administration.
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