Category Archives: MOT

Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT, has said that in the first week of October, we will be taking a domestic FAM tour on the Buddhist train from Delhi to Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Rajgir and Varanasi and then coming back to Delhi. “The idea is to showcase the IRCTC Buddhist train as a product and these destinations as important part of the Buddhist circuit and beyond. Hon. Minister will also be present in the Varanasi leg of the journey,” she updated.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), announced that the MOT has launched the Responsible Traveller Campaign on the occasion of World Tourism Day. “The campaign will be activated throughout the country, with some part of it already active on social media. It is important that the development through tourism is sustainable, responsible and inclusive. This crisis is an opportunity to rethink about the sector and its contribution to the people and planet,” he said.

Ministry of Tourism is set to organise the next Northeast India International Travel Mart (NEITM or ITM) in Nagaland from 28-30th November, 2021. “It will be a physical event, and is scheduled just before Hornbill Festival, as suggested by the Minister. The idea is to benefit from the energy of Hornbill. Since the festival starts from December 1, ITM will be on 28-30th November and preparations are afoot for that,” she concludes.

Ministry of Tourism (MOT) is targeting last-mile connectivity through Viability Gap Funding to MoCA under RCS UDAN scheme, revealed Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism. “We are also discussing with the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways for improving road connectivity to important destinations,” he added while speaking at the World Tourism Day celebration.

It’s good thing that UNWTO has recognised inclusiveness as the theme. For a country like India, we are looking at tourism and hospitality providing a huge amount of employment opportunities across the socio-economic spectrum. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to work with a strategic focus on creating inclusiveness in our sector because in India the experiential possibilities, in terms of magnitude and offerings, are immense. This provide us an amazing opportunity to work at the grassroot level to ensure community involvement and to make sure that there are many benefits that can flow back to society, at large through inclusive tourism.

One must consider local needs when it comes to tourism. In responsible or inclusive tourism, local people try to come out and enhance their skills to suit the needs of 5-star properties in the area. In Kumarakom, Kerala for example, local self-help groups by ladies prepare fish and supply vegetables, linen, drinking water and coconut water to 5-star hotels. There are around seven 5-star hotels and over 200 hotels in Kumarakom and the supply chain management has been taken over by the local population. Local institutions and state governments have given this training to them. Hence, I insist that state governments should actively get involved into developing responsible tourism. Need-based tourism and skill development is essential.

I am proud that our state has taken the lead in agri-tourism. The concept of 30% Krishi Yojana proposed by the Agriculture Minister Dadasaheb Bhuse for women farmers is highly commendable. More than 60% of the country’s population engages in agriculture and it is crucial to link agriculture to tourism. Agri-tourism is instrumental for employment generation and economic improvement especially in these pandemic times when people have lost jobs. Agri-tourism has given us the opportunity to bring together the two major sectors: tourism and agriculture. The current pandemic offers an opportunity to grow agri-tourism in India. One of the safest ways to enjoy travel right now is to visit rural areas, experience rural life and enjoy clean environment.

Community partnership is very important to develop responsible and inclusive tourism in places like Ladakh. There is an immense need to develop overall tourism along with focussing on creating a professional skilled workforce. Tourism can be a game changer that can bring socio-economic change in the nation especially in NE region.

After a successful meeting with the tourism and culture ministers of Northeastern states in Guwahati, Ministry of Tourism, is now planning a similar conference with the tourism ministers of Southern states, revealed G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DoNER in his address at the World Tourism Day celebration in New Delhi. The meeting, as per Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT, will be held in Karnataka, most probably between Bengaluru and Hampi.

Air India Chairman Rajiv Bansal named as the new aviation secretary. Bansal, a 1988 batch lAS officer of Nagaland cadre, will replace Pradeep Singh Kharola, upon his retirement this month-end. As per Personnel Ministry order: Rajaraman will take over the charge from Anshu Prakash who will retire on September 30. Steel Secretary Pradip Kumar Tripathi will be the Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Govind Mohan, Additional Secretary in the Department of Home, will be Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Anurag Jain, Vice Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority, will become the Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry; K Sanjay Murthy, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited, will be Secretary, Department of Higher Education.