42101/13/0041/1314 English-pdf

MINISTRY OF TOURISM, GOVERNMENT OF INDIAwww.incredibleindia.orgAtithidevo BhavavfrfFknsoks HkoADVERTORIAL & PROMOTIONAL FEATURERs.100 croresanctioned forUttarakhand restorationMinistry of Tourism extends specialfinancial assistance to rebuild tourisminfrastructure in UttarakhandUttarakhand has recently witnessed an unprecedented naturalcalamity that has caused colossal damage to both lifeand property in the State. The Union Minister of State forTourism (Independent Charge), Dr. K Chiranjeevi, sanctionedspecial financial assistance of Rs. 100 crore to the StateGovernment of Uttarakhand for restoration and reconstruction ofthe tourist facilities affected by the natural calamity. The sanctionedamount is in addition to Rs. 95 crore being given to theState as part of the Central Financial Assistance for developmentof tourism infrastructure in the State.The funds sanctioned in the relief package will be utilized forrestoration and reconstruction of tourism infrastructure across theState with a special focus on tourist facilities along the yatra route.The State Government has been advised to assess the damagecaused to tourism infrastructure and propose its requirement forbringing back tourism to the State.The Ministry of Tourism is also coordinating with the traveltrade, hotel industry and all other stakeholders in the tourismsector for donations to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for helpingthe people affected by floods in Uttarakhand.The Union Minister of State forTourism (IC) Dr. K. Chiranjeevi onlaunched a Public ServiceDelivery System for hotel approval,classification and related services in afunction held in Hotel Samrat, NewDelhi, on April 3, 2013. In this function,various stakeholders from the Tourismand Hospitality Industry participated.Dr. Chiranjeevi said that this initiative isone more step taken by the Ministry ofTourism to bring transparency in governance.Through this system, all applicantsseeking hotel project approvals,hotel classification andapprovals for other related serviceswill be able to track the progress oftheir cases online on a real time basis.Dr. Chiranjeevi said he is happy thathis Ministry has opened this new interfacewith the stakeholders.By putting this system in place,there will be a pressure on the officersof the Ministry to deliver on time andan increased accountability on theirpart. Now onwards, all complete applicationswill have to be examinedwithin 15 working days from receipt.Thereafter, all hotel inspections will bescheduled within next 15 workingdays. The recommendations of Hoteland Restaurants Approval &Classification Committee will be communicatedon the spot to the applicantand these recommendations willalso be put on web with final decisionwithin 10 days of the inspection. Thusthe information will be available toUnion Minister ofState for Tourism(IndependentCharge) Dr KChiranjeevi payingtributes to rescueofficials who losttheir lives in thechopper crash inUttarakhandUnionMinister ofState forTourism(IndependentCharge) Dr. K.Chiranjeeviconsoling thevictims ofUttarakhandfloodsLaunch of Public Service Delivery Systemstakeholders on real time basis.Every applicant will be given a usernameand password through autogeneratede-mail on submission ofapplication. This password will beunique to every applicant.The Minister stated that in duecourse, the Ministry would move towardsan e-regime and accept e-applicationsand proposals. The Ministryof Tourism will now erect such systemsin other spheres of functioningalso.The Minister stated that the hotel industryplays a pivotal role in thegrowth of tourism in the country. Heurged his officers in the Ministry andindustry to work in 'one vision onemission' framework.SONIA GANDHIChairperson, UPADR MANMOHAN SINGHPrime Minister of IndiaTourist Visa onArrival (TVOA)The Tourist Visa-on-Arrival (TVOA) Scheme wasintroduced by Government of India for the touristsfrom five countries viz. Singapore, New Zealand,Luxembourg, Japan and Finland on a pilot basis for aperiod of one year w.e.f. January 1, 2010. It wasextended by the Ministry of Home Affairs on anexperimental basis for one year for the nationals ofsix more countries viz., Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos,Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar with effect fromJanuary, 2011. Thus, the TVOA with a maximumvalidity of 30 days with single entry facility is beinggranted by immigration officers at Delhi, Mumbai,Chennai and Kolkata airports, on payment of US $ 60or equivalent amount in Indian Rupees perpassenger (including children) to the citizens of 11countries at present. TVOA shall be non-extendableand non-convertible. Only two visits on a TVOA shallbe permissible in a calendar year.Foreign ExchangeEarningsSharp rise in foreign exchange earningsby 16.5% during Jan-May 2013The Ministry of Tourism compiles monthly estimates ofForeign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) on the basis of datareceived from major ports and Foreign ExchangeEarnings (FEEs) from tourism on the basis of dataavailable from Reserve Bank of India. The following arethe important highlights regarding FTAs and FEEs fromtourism during the period January - May 2013. FTAsduring the period January to May 2013 were 28.63 lakhwith a growth of 2.1%, as compared to the FTAs of 28.05lakh during January to May 2012. FEEs from tourism inrupee terms during January to May 2013 were Rs.43,412 crore with a growth of 16.5%, as compared tothe FEE of Rs. 37,275 crore during January to May 2012 .DEVELOPMENT OF HERITAGE LIGHTHOUSESAS TOURIST DESTINATIONSTourism Minister announces acampaign to promote HimalayasDr. K. Chiranjeevi, Union Minister ofState for Tourism (IndependentCharge), announced the launch ofa campaign titled “777 days of the IndianHimalayas”, to publicise the tourismpotential of the Himalayas and promotethis incredible tourist productinternationally. The campaign will have atwofold objective; to attract moreinternational tourists to India during thelean summer season and to createawareness that 73 percent of theHimalayas are in India. The Ministry plansto launch the campaign on September 27this year on the occasion of the WorldTourism Day. The Minister mentioned thatthe aim of this campaign is not only topromote the Himalayan states but alsothe gateway cities which are the entryDr. K. Chiranjeevi, Union Minister of State forTourism (Independent Charge) after holdingdiscussions with Shri G. K.Wasan, Minister forShipping, and Shri Milind Deora, Minister ofState for Shipping, Communication andInformation Technology has agreed to provideCentral Financial Assistance for the developmentof heritage lighthouses as tourist destinations.Out of fifteen heritage lighthouses havinghistorical importance, in the first phase,Konhoji Angere lighthouse in Maharashtra willbe taken up for development. The Ministry ofTourism plans to support construction of a boatjetty and passenger terminal at Konhoji Angerelighthouse. On this occasion Tourism MinisterDr.K.Chiranjeevi said; "Light houses are veryimportant part of our man-made heritage,which we need to preserve and develop for futuregeneration." He also said "In maritime historythe voyages for India have always remainedimportant for the foreign travellers. Itwill be appropriate, if we can catalogue the historicalpart and make heritage lighthouses asnew tourist destinations. "The Konhoji Angere Island is situated nine nauticalmiles away from the Gateway of India,Mumbai. Once the jetty is built, Mumbaikarsand the domestic as well as internationaltourists will get a new day-trip destination. TheMinistry of Shipping in due course, would bedeveloping overnight facilities at KonhojiAngere Island by constructing eco-huts in thePublic Private Partnership mode.The two Ministers are of the opinion that thenovel idea of development of heritage lighthouseswill not only protect our national heritagebut also help in developing new tourismdestinations. The development of lighthouseswill evince new interest among youth aboutmaritime history and development. TheMinistry of Shipping has plans to developMaritime museums in Vishakhapatnam andMahabalipuram. The effort of developing heritagelighthouses into tourism destinations willalso give a new impetus to development ofcruise tourism in the country. The two Ministrieswill sign a Memorandum of Understanding onthe subject in near future. Various stakeholdersin the Tourism and Maritime industry havehailed this decision of the Government.points for domestic and internationaltourists. This initiative of the Ministry ofTourism has been welcomed by theIndian Tourism industry, as it would bringin a new dimension to the promotion andmarketing campaigns being undertakenfor positioning India as a niche tourismdestination in the international market..The members of the Adventure TourOperators Association of India (ATOAI)have agreed to offer attractive discountsto the tourists during the period of thecampaign. In addition, ATOAI has alsocome forward to organize Trekking, Riverrafting, Himalayan run, Mountain and Bikeevents as part of this campaign. TheMinistry is coordinating with various stategovernments and tourism stakeholders,including the airlines, to offer discounts.Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge) Dr K Chiranjeevi at the inauguration ceremony of the 25th JCM of UNWTO;Dignitaries L to R: Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General UNWTO, Mr. Martin Craigs, CEO, PATA, Shri Kiran Kumar Reddy, Chief Minister of AP, ShriVatti Vasant Kumar, Minister of Tourism, Government of APRecognising the importance of cinema as a powerful tool for thedevelopment and promotion of various tourist destinations, theFILMMoT has announced several initiativesTOURISMSeveral destinations have announced several initiatives forgained in terms of tourist promoting Film Tourism throughinflux by being thefilms shot in India. The Ministry ofvenue/location of popularInformation & Broadcasting and thedomestic and international cinema. Ministry of Tourism signed aIn addition to the exposure Memorandum of Understandingprovided through such films, there (MoU) on February 16, 2012. Theare many ancillary gains to the MoU is expected to enhance thedestination like income generation, reach of 'Incredible India' throughinvestment, job creation, etc., the medium of cinema, developwhich contribute to the overall synergy between tourism and filmeconomic development of the industry and provide a platform forrespective destination.enabling partnerships between theThe Ministry of Tourism has Indian and global film industry.identified Film Tourism as a niche Cannes Film Festival & Market,tourism segment and hasInternational Film Festival of IndiaUnion Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge)Dr K Chiranjeevi at Cannes Film Festival(IFFI, Goa), European Film Market,Berlin, are the three film festivalsidentified for joint participation bythe Ministry of Tourism and Ministryof Information and Broadcasting.The Ministry of Tourism extendedfinancial support to National FilmDevelopment Corporation for theInternational Film Festival of India2011 and Film Bazaar 2011 held inGoa and approved financialsupport to the Cannes Film Festival.