Category Archives: States

For the first time, a state tourism policy is to be formulated for Jammu & Kashmir. This was informed by Farooq Shah, Secretary Tourism, Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir said that the state would invest Rs. 2400 crore to boost tourism and added that the policy will help connect locals with tourist and create opportunities of employment for jobless youth and women in the state. “Owing to the heavy inflow of tourists to the state and the increasing competition with tourist destinations abroad, it has become necessary for the state to upgrade existing hotels, guest houses and develop new destinations to attract more tourists,” said Shah. He further elaborated, “It is only possible when the state has a well-planned tourism policy that we can improve the sector. A comprehensive tourism policy is the need of an hour and will make a road map so that tourist places are fast developed on modern lines to cater to a huge tourist inflow without degrading the environment. By having the policy, government can identify such new destinations, create infrastructure there to attract tourists. We are also planning to promote eco-tourism in the state.” He informed that the government is expecting an investment of around Rs. 30000 crore from the private sector in next 10 years. Shah explained that a number of five star hotels including international brands will be coming up in the valley in a next few years, giving a boost to tourism in the state. Source: Indian Express

The Secretary for Tourism and Floriculture, Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq A. Shah along with the ICPB India convention promotion bureau (a body working under the aegis of Ministry of Tourism GOI for promoting MICE Tourism), have decided to enable a platform for the state of Jammu and Kashmir to showcase itself as a suited MICE destination. The office bearers of the ICPB assured the Secretary that the state will be promoted as one of the priority venues for conferences and events of national and international standard. Shah showcased the international standard MICE tourism potential of the state particularly in Kashmir like SKICC, Pahalgam club, and places like Gulmarg and Jammu as well. The secretary agreed to organise an intractable evening session specifically for promoting the MICE potential of the state in which leading prominent MICE tourism promoting organisations will be invited to know about the international standard convention and post-convention avenues available in the state. Shah also uprised that Kashmir’s summer is the best in the country to experience leisure activities in the form of shopping, cuisine, sightseeing, rafting among others.

Jammu & Kashmir Bank branches will be now promoting Jammu & Kashmir’s tourism potential across the country in its respective cities, states and towns, this was agreed in a meeting between Secretary-Tourism and Floriculture, Farooq A. Shah with the Chairman J&K Bank,  Parvez Ahmad Nengroo at the official head quarters of J&K Bank in Srinagar. The two officers agreed to sign an MoU in this regard in which J&K bank will promote the state of Jammu and Kashmir in all its branches by providing publicity materials and other information to its clients and customers similarly the J&K Bank website will also display information about the state tourism product and services. JKTDC packages will also be promoted in the said respective branches. The tourism trade bodies unanimously have appreciated this step and have hoped good results and benefits out of it .

To make Delhi a world class tourist destination, the Government of Delhi is preparing a tourism policy and master plan for promotion of tourism and tourism infrastructure for Delhi Tourism. For this, the Delhi Government has earmarked a total expenditure of Rs 119 crore for Tourism sector in 2017-18. This includes revenue budget of Rs 69 crore and capital budget of Rs 50 crore. An amount of Rs 117 crore is earmarked for implementation of various schemes, programmes and projects under Tourism sector. With aim to promote Delhi as a film shooting destination, the Delhi Government has proposed to introduce “Single Window Clearance Mechanism” for film making facility so that the legal formalities to shoot in the city can be completed by visiting only one Government Office. “Smooth system is being developed for granting permission to Film Producers and to provide them with consolidated information on guidelines for shooting and to make film shooting a hassle free experience,” said Manish Sisodia, Deputy CM, Government of Delhi, in his annual Budget speech for 2017-18. A Soft Adventure Park at the Garden of Five Senses has also been developed as an eco-friendly project to attract more visitors to garden which is surrounded by a sprawling lush green garden which provides a mystic ambience to the adventure park. The government has also planned to develop the Riverfront of River Yamuna and make a World Class Ecological River Front of 5 km upstream of Wazirabad. “This will create a place that allows people to connect with nature and the River Yamuna. It will also help spread awareness about the importance of the River and its protection and mobilise people towards the improvement of the …

To give a boost to the Civil Aviation Operators, the Government of Delhi has proposed to reduce the VAT rate to 1 per cent from existing 25 per cent on their purchases of Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) in Delhi. Revealing this in Budget for 2017-18, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said those who have opted to operate under Regional Connectivity Scheme i.e. RCS (Udan) and will ply the fights on RCS routes (involving Delhi) between an identified pair of origin and destination airports/helipads can benefit from this tax cut.

Goa’s biggest Hindu festival will kick-start on March 14 and will continue in various rural parts of Goa, spanning over a fortnight, with different days earmarked for celebrations in different areas. The float parade will begin at Ponda on March 14, 2017. The city of Panaji will witness the float parade on 18 March 2017. The float parade will end in Pernem and Sanquelim on 27 March, 2017. Thousands of tourists are expected to visit the state to witness the Shigmo parades.

In line with the strategy of aggressive promotional campaign, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism organised various events in Maharashtra and Pune. The event titled Shaam-e-Kargil focused to promote the unexplored regions in the state which special focus on Kargil, informed Farooq A Shah, Secretary Tourism and Managing Director, Jammu and Kashmir State Tourism Development Corporation (JKSTDC). Addressing the travel fraternity in Maharashtra as dost-e-Kashmir, Shah explained how the trade in this region has always been a supporter and taken initiatives in promoting Jammu Kashmir as their priority destination. The delegation from the state tourism department interacted with various trade associations and travel agents and displayed publicity material about the products and services on offer in the state. The Secretary also conducted a series of meetings with the airlines and other allied sector representatives in order to ask for better facilitation and balanced fares to the destination.

In keeping with Kerala’s new ‘Land of Biennale’ branding, its District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) has launched the ‘Biennale Deluxe’ initiative, which will provide free, customised tours of the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. The first of a number of such buses planned over the Biennale’s run pulled in from Thiruvananthapuram, bringing 17 visitors across age groups for a weekend trip to India’s only Biennale. The group took in a tour of primary venue Aspinwall House and other sites. K. Suresh Kumar, assistant manager, DTPC – Thiruvanthapuram, said, “The Biennale has become a major unique selling point to promote Kerala and this prompted us to roll out this attractive and unique tourism initiative. The Biennale Deluxehas been conceptualised and executed by the DTPC. The DTPC organises customised tours from the state capital to various tourist destinations in the state. We already have a well chalked-out itinerary, which engages the guests with both the host city and the Biennale. The one-day trip to the KMB is totally free of cost.” The initiative is supported by a leading tour operator. The Council is planning to associate with other tourism stakeholders across the state to bring in more people to the Biennale, especially from southern Kerala, and organise similar trips.

Considering the uptick in domestic tourism, the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala recently organised B2B roadshows in multiple metros including Mumbai. The delegation from Kerala was led by Shine KS, Tourist Information Officer, Department of Tourism, Govt of Kerala and comprised 63 major players from the state’s tourism industry – the highest so far. Explaining the initiatives for 2017, Shine KS said, “The marketing initiatives for the year 2016-17 were formulated and executed based on the keen understanding of the unique appeal that Kerala holds for visitors. The marketing measures adopted by the government have elevated the state to the top-tier of ‘must visit’ destinations around the world. There has been a remarkable increase in the arrival of tourists within a single year as a result of the various initiatives implemented by the Government. We will continue with our 10-point agenda which was launched in September 2016 under the Green Carpet Initiative which focuses on giving a facelift to select tourist destinations in the state to ensure security, cleanliness, hygiene, and scientific waste management methods, apart from offering unique experiences.”

A total of 14.2 million tourists visited Kerala in 2016, corresponding to a 5.71 per cent growth as compared to 2015. The provisional figures from the tourism department indicated that 14,210,954 tourists came to Kerala in 2016, out of which 13,172,535 were domestic arrivals and 1,038,419 were foreign visitors, corresponding to an increase of 5.67 per cent and 6.23 per cent respectively as compared to 2015. An 8 per cent increase in tourist arrivals was expected in November, a peak tourist season for Kerala. Dr. Venu V, Principal Secretary-Tourism, Government of Kerala, pointed out, “A setback to the tourism sector will have a significant impact on the economy. The continuous efforts by the government and private tourism partners helped Kerala Tourism withstand the demonetisation crisis. The unique tourism products and innovative marketing strategies helped Kerala to a large extent to tide over the difficult phase.” While the months of October and December saw increases of 8.45 per cent and 8.01 per cent respectively when compared to 2015, November saw a smaller increase of 6.98 per cent. The overall scenario was better compared to domestic arrivals since foreign visitors tend to book their holidays in advance, the state tourism department added. Source: PTI