Tag Archives: Minister of Tourism

The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has signed a transfer agreement with Rajasthan government on December 9 to transfer Hotel Jaipur Ashok to the state government. As per the agreement, Hotel Jaipur Ashok located at Collectorate Circle would now be operated and managed by the Rajasthan State Hotel Corporation Ltd, with new identity ‘Hotel Jaipur’. The agreement was signed by Piyush Tiwari, Director – Commercial & Marketing, ITDC and Nihal Chand Goel, Additional Chief Secretary – Tourism, State government in the presence of Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Minister of Tourism, Govt of India; Ravneet Kaur, Chairperson and Managing Director (CMD), ITDC; Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India and other dignitaries. ITDC executed transfer documents for transferring the hotel to the Rajasthan government at a negotiated price of Rs 14 crore. Earlier on September 5, a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) was executed among ITDC, Ministry of Tourism and Government of Rajasthan for transfer of Hotel Jaipur Ashok to the state government at a negotiated value of Rs 14 crore without any liabilities and encumbrances.  

The maiden Cambodia Travel Mart kicked off at Sokha Siem Reap Resort and Convention Centre on November 17. The three-day mart, which will host local and international buyers, suppliers, trade professionals and media partners, will allow participants to meet and exchange the latest developments of the tourism industry in Cambodia. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was presided over by Yim Chhay Lay, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia, and Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, Cambodia, along with other dignitaries. The tourism minister of Cambodia said at the event, “In 2016, the number of tourists visiting Cambodia increased about 5 per cent, we received about 5 million tourists. In 2017 we hope to receive 5.5 million tourists and we expect this number to go up to 7 million in 2020. The first event of CTM in Siem Reap this year is a key factor to develop tourism in Cambodia and to achieve the expected goals.” The next edition of the Cambodia Travel Mart will be held at Phnom Penh from October 11-13, 2018.

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is offering battery-operated vehicle for tourists visiting the Raj Bhavan. Owing to an increase in the number of tourists at the Raj Bhavan, the government is now looking to further develop the tourist attraction. Raj Bhavan is the authorised residence of Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, one of the best-protected landmarks in the city, for public viewing and the gates of the inheritance building are open for public for three days a week. The two-hour trip starts at 6 am and comes with a directed walk through the Bhavan. The battery-operated vehicle will assist in offering an eco-friendly tour of the Raj Bhavan. Eco-sensitive zones will be identified by MTDC in areas including the hill stations, coastlines and spiritual sites, where diesel and petrol vehicles will not be permitted and only battery-operated or e-vehicles will be allowed for zero pollution. The state government is working on developing some cities as cycling hotspots and to encourage environmental friendly tourism. Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, said, “We are delighted to offer a battery-operated vehicle to the Raj Bhavan to enhance the tourism and create the wide visibility for this heritage site in Mumbai. Raj Bhavan, the governor’s Malabar Hill home has become the town’s novel tourist hotspot and our aim is to transform Maharashtra as an environment friendly tourist destination. This is a small effort by MTDC to diversify tourism products to cater to the passions of growing travellers.”

The fourth edition of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart (MPTM) was held from October 27-29 at Hotel Lake View, Bhopal. Over 200 national and international buyers and close to 100 domestic exhibitors took part in the event. With B2B sessions scheduled over two days, participants had the opportunity to form successful collaborations and network with industry players including airlines, accommodation providers, destination management companies, heritage hotels, wildlife resorts, etc. At the inaugural ceremony, Surendra Patwa, Minister of Tourism, Govt. of MP, launched ‘Tourism – Everyone’s Business’, a book authored by Gour Kanjilal. Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary-Tourism, MPTB, was also present at the event. “I believe that within a year or two, our team will be at the international level. Security for foreign tourists is one of our biggest priorities and we are continuously ensuring that tourists feel safe and welcome when they travel to the state,” said Patwa. With the mandate of the state tourism board clearly laid out, MPTM and other events of the order aim to showcase MP to domestic and international players.

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has taken steps to rebrand tourism in Maharashtra with the launch of its new logo “म” for the Visit Maharashtra Campaign. The logo was unveiled by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, in the presence of Jaykumar Jitendrasinh Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra. Fadnavis said, “We are very happy to announce the launch of the new logo “म” Visit Maharashtra to promote the state tourism prospects worldwide. Maharashtra has an incredible potential to become the most preferred destinations for both domestic and international tourists. We are planning to organise ‘Mumbai Mela’ from December 21 to January 8, 2018, to engage with domestic and international tourists. ‘Mumbai Mela’ will offer a huge platform to various segments to explore their offerings to the tourists. I believe, this new logo of Visit Maharashtra Campaign will push Maharashtra on the global map and create Brand Maharashtra as a popular tourist destination.”

Etihad Airways and strategic partner Jet Airways have signed an agreement with the Government of Maharashtra to promote tourism to the western Indian state. The partnership will enable both airlines to capitalise on their links with Maharashtra and further propel domestic and international arrivals into the state capital Mumbai and beyond. It is the first time an Indian state has signed a tourism collaboration agreement with the airline sector. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis presided over the signing of the MoU in Mumbai. It followed months of discussions between the leadership of both airlines and the state government on exploring ways to work together to promote tourism‎. Under the agreement, the three entities will pool marketing resources to participate in travel-trade events in key international markets such as the UK and the UAE; jointly promote ‘Destination Maharashtra’ through advertising campaigns; and organise inbound familiarisation trips for travel agents. Collectively, the two airlines operate five flights a day between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai with domestic connections across the country. In addition, Jet Airways flies daily between Maharashtra’s second largest city of Pune and Abu Dhabi. Commenting on the association, Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, said, “Together, we can create benefits for travellers and shareholders. Our aim is to jointly put in place the best strategies and practices to increase Maharashtra’s marketing footprint and position it as the most preferred destination.” James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Being part of one of the world’s largest economies, Maharashtra has plenty to offer business and leisure travellers. We are therefore delighted to expand our links to promote tourism to this vibrant state, which we have been …

Around 10,000 exhibitors from 184 countries and regions in 26 fully-booked halls set the ball rolling at the ITB Berlin Convention, being held from March 8-12, 2017.  The Indian pavilion was inaugurated by Gurjit Singh, Ambassador of India to Germany, along with Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra. Dr. Christian Göke, Chief Executive Officer of Messe Berlin GmbH, says, “As the world’s most important gathering place for the tourism industry ITB Berlin above all brings people together. A million face-to-face meetings at ITB Berlin will do one thing in particular, and that is build trust, trust on which we increasingly depend in our business dealings, in a digitalised and globalised world that has become more and more difficult to understand. Over 80 per cent of our exhibitors are from abroad. The organisers again expect more than 100,000 international trade visitors as well as many thousand members of the public on the weekend, who will be able to book their holidays directly at the show. The convention features key topics such as ‘Safety & Security’ and ’Artificial Intelligence’. This year, on March 9, at ITB Berlin, two Speed Dating events will give buyers and bloggers an opportunity to meet with exhibitors from around the world, enabling them to establish valuable contacts all in one day. This year at ITB Berlin, for the first time the important growth segment of medical tourism will receive its own platform. Medical service providers, hotels and destinations will be able to exhibit their products and services In the Medical Tourism Pavilion in Hall 3.2. On Thursday, 9 March from 3 to 4 p.m., …

A three-day International Ellora-Ajanta festival organised by MTDC in association with Divisional Commissioner Aurangabad was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Ellora Caves. Jaykumar Jitendrasinh Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, visited the monuments, caves, Bibi ka Maqbara and Panchakki in Aurangabad and discussed about the cleanliness and preservation of the historic monuments with the ASI officials and tourism officials. To boost tourism flow of the historic city of Aurangabad, a meeting with all the stake holders like the Aurangabad hotelier, travel agents and taxi drivers’ association also took placed with Rawal, where he also proposed that work skills and development sessions will be conducted for the rickshaw and taxi driver in Aurangabad. He also discussed in length about the ideas on how to make Aurangabad the top most visited city in India. In the stakeholders meeting, Rawal, announced “Aurangabad is a historic city in Maharashtra state of India. The city is known as the tourist hub, surrounded by beautiful historic monuments, a visit to this city is truly a cultural as well as an architectural delight for the tourist; it’s a great privilege for us to have such marvelous creations around us. We are all responsible for the cleanliness and preservation of these monuments. If the city and the environment around the monuments are clean and maintained, it will boost the tourism in the city. Aurangabad will also host tourism conclave every year and will also host rediscovery of Ajanta caves centenary year 2019 very soon. The department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra is keen on aggressive marketing in International market to amplify tourism in Maharashtra.”

Assam Government has allocated Rs 15 crore to ‘Awesome Assam’ brand. “Tourism will be promoted as ‘Awesome Assam’ with Rs. 15 crore allocated for publicity focusing on the one-horned rhino, Assam Tea and the mighty Brahmaputra,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma, Minister of Tourism, Government of Asssam. A new logo of Assam Tourism has also been launched. Sarma informed that aggressive publicity will be carried out outside the state with a single-window clearance policy being initiated for issuing permission to shoot films in Guwahati. In order to harness the tourism potential of tourist attractions like Kamakhya Temple and Majuli river island, the government has sanctioned Rs 33 crore for the development of infrastructure of Kamakhya. Sarma also revealed that PSUs like ONGC, OIL, NHPC and others have also expressed interest to invest in the tourism sector as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, the Centre has allocated Rs 120 crore for the five national parks in the state. Sarma invited ideas and plans for the development of tourism and informed that the state will develop tourism through partnership with the people.

A delegation from Wakayama Prefectural Government, Japan, met Jayakumar Jitendrasinh Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, on August 8, 2016, in Mumbai to renew the MoU between Wakayama Prefectural Government (WPG) and the Government of Maharashtra that was signed in October 2013. As part of the MoU, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding the Ajanta – Ellora Development Phase 3 and showcasing their full support towards development of tourism in Maharashtra. The MoU also highlights the joint efforts of both parties to enhance mutual economic growth, promote agro and food processing between local enterprises through existing framework that the both the Governments have established. Jayakumar Jitendrasinh Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, said, “The renewal of the MoU term and this association will help increase tourism inflow in Maharashtra and Wakayama through the agreement. It has been a great platform for us to increase our global footprint and put Maharashtra on a World map. It has strengthened bilateral trade between India and Japan and has mutually benefitted these two countries to strengthen their respective tourism prospects. I propose the establishment of a Japanese village near Ajanta-Ellora to further attract tourist footfalls from Japan and welcome our Japanese brothers with better warmth and hospitality. Would like to offer land for the establishment of this village. We must also organise special Japanese tours in Maharashtra.” The Minister also invited the Japanese delegation to attend the planned Buddhist Conference in Aurangabad in October. Wakayama Prefecture delegation proposed their plans to promote Ajanta Visitor Centre and a clean-up camp at the World heritage site with locals at Ajanta.