Tag Archives: Ministry of Tourism

The Ministry of Tourism, Oman, has successfully conducted the second leg of the multi-city roadshow in Mumbai. The event witnessed participation from around 140 companies to bridge connections between local travel agents and destination management companies in Oman. The unique interactive platform with pre-fixed meetings gave trade partners and travel agents an opportunity to interact and learn more about the diverse product offerings and experiences that Oman has to offer. Her Excellency, Maitha Saif Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), said, “The objective of the roadshow is to highlight the various facets of Oman as a destination and to create awareness about the new segments and offerings that the country has to offer. We see India as a promising potential market and have witnessed significant growth over a period of time. We recognise and acknowledge the demand from India and other potential markets. Hence, as part of the Sultanate’s National Tourism Strategy 2040, the Ministry of Tourism seeks to introduce the sector’s latest developments, services, projects and facilities of the tourism industry like opening the new passenger terminal at Muscat International Airport and launching the electronic visa.” Commenting on the roadshow, Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative, Ministry of Tourism, Oman, said, “The roadshow offers us a platform to expose the uniqueness of Oman as a holiday destination from India. From luxurious resorts and campsites to exotic scuba diving spots to rustic shopping experiences, Oman has something to offer to anyone who has a quest for adventure and thirst for a distinctive cultural experience. Oman is not only seeing a surge in MiCE travel, but is also a preferred wedding destination for many.”

The Ministry of Tourism, Oman successfully conducted the first leg of its multi-city roadshow in Delhi at The Taj Mahal Hotel. Her Excellency Maitha Saif Al Mahrouqim, Undersecretary, Ministry of Tourism, Oman; Sunil VA, Regional Vice President, ISC, Oman Air and Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative – Ministry of Tourism, Oman along with other representatives were present at the roadshow. On the occasion, Mahrouqi said that Oman has witnessed over 31 per cent growth in Indian arrivals since 2014. “In 2017 alone, Oman received 321,161 Indian visitors with a growth of over 7 per cent in just one year. In the first six months of 2018, the country witnessed 15 per cent growth in comparison to the same period last year. Oman is a ideal for every kind of traveller but we are looking to focus immensely on MiCE opportunities from India.” Furthermore, to encourage more travellers to visit the country, Oman has recently announced a new short-term tourist visa at 5 Omani Riyal (OMR) equivalent to approximately Rs 940 to visit the Sultanate for a period of 10 days. This is in addition to the existing e-visa for Oman which is available at 20 OMR with a validity of one month.

The Ministry of Tourism has clarified that the Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India from the USA during 2017 have registered a positive growth of 6.17 per cent over 2016. Since 2010, the number of FTAs from the USA in India has never declined. However, it is observed from the report of National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO), USA, that the outbound tourists from the USA to India have declined by 7 per cent in 2017, as compared to 2016. The figures of outbound travellers in the report are 1,195,000 and 1,111,000 for the years 2016 and 2017, respectively. In the said report released by NTTO, it is also mentioned that traveller volume is based on the US Department of Homeland Security Advanced Passenger Information System wherein all airlines are required to electronically submit passenger data on flights arriving into and departing from the United States. Thus, it is obvious that the source of data for the report is only airlines reporting. In the cases where direct flight between the USA and India is not operating, it is not known whether the final destination is reported as India by the passengers. Moreover, departures at international check posts other than airports are not captured in the report.

The Paryatan Parv by the Ministry of Tourism was inaugurated by Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister, in presence of KJ Alphons, Union Minister for Tourism; Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and other dignitaries from participating Central Ministries and State Governments at Rajpath Lawns, New Delhi. This is the second edition of Paryatan Parv — a nation-wide celebration of Tourism, from September 16-27, 2018. Inaugurating the Parv, Singh said that India is the only country where all major religions of the world, diverse culture, customs and cuisines are found, and we should see and experience this Incredible India. The Home Minister added that the Government has ensured ‘ease of travel’ through various steps like simplification of process of e-tourist visa application. The Minister also urged Indians to visit various places in the country and thereby understand its rich and varied culture and heritage, while also enjoying its natural beauty. Speaking at the event, Alphons said that Indians have made 1.8 billion domestic trips in the last year and added that the Ministry is aiming for twice these visits in next 3 years. The Tourism Minister also called upon everyone to see, experience and get transformed by travelling across India.

K J Alphons, Minister of State for Tourism (I/C), Government of India will be inaugurating the project ‘Development of Tribal Circuit: Jashpur- Kunkuri- Mainpat- Kamleshpur- Maheshpur- Kurdar-Sarodadadar- Gangrel- Kondagaon- Nathiya Nawagaon- Jagdalpur- Chitrakoot- Tirthgarh in Chhattisgarh’ implemented under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, in Gangrel, Chhattisgarh on September 14, 2018. This is the second project under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme being inaugurated in the country. This project was sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism in February 2016 for Rs 99.21 crores. The project covers 13 sites in Chhattisgarh, namely, Jashpur, Kunkuri, Mainpat, Kamleshpur, Maheshpur, Kurdar, Sarodadadar, Gangrel, Kondagaon, Nathiya Nawagaon, Jagdalpur, Chitrakoot, Tirthgarh. Development of Tribes and Tribal Culture is one of the prime area of focus for the Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry is carrying out an array of activities for development and promotion of tourism in the tribal region.  The Ministry is developing the tourism infrastructure in the region under its schemes of Swadesh Darshan. Under the tribal circuit theme of the scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned four projects to Nagaland, Telangana and Chhattisgarh for Rs 381.37 crores. Major components sanctioned include eco log huts, craft haats, souvenir shops/ kiosk, tourist reception & facilitation centres, open amphitheatre, tribal interpretation centres, workshop centres, tourist amenities centres, last mile connectivity, wayside amenities, viewpoints, nature trails, solar illuminations, signages solid waste management, etc. These components are perceived to improve existing tourist facilities and enhance the overall tourist experience.  

Every year, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, observes ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ from September 16-30 by organising various cleanliness programmes at the premises of its offices, educational institutions, prominent tourist places, etc. This year, ‘Swachhta Hi Sewa’ (Cleanliness is service), to be held from September 15, 2018 to October 2, 2018, coincides with the ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’. Indiatourism Mumbai invited Indore Municipal Corporation to interact with Mumbai and neighbouring municipal corporation representatives, travel and tourism fraternity and students to show how the Indore Municipal Corporation has achieved this feat by undertaking cleanliness drive. Indore has worked on retaining its “Cleanest City in India” title for the Swachh Sarvekshan Survey best city award for two consecutive years. The survey aims to encourage large-scale citizen participation and create awareness amongst all sections of society about the importance of working together towards making towns and cities a better place to live in. Dr Uttam Yadav, Health Officer, Indore Municipal Corporation, gave a detailed presentation on the initiative and scientific approach taken in mission mode for bringing Indore the status of cleanest city in India. He focussed on the minute detailing like changing the behaviour of citizens, changing mind set and using services of rag-pickers for loss of work due to cleanliness drive. Further, he highlighted the after effect of the cleanliness drive, which saw decline in the number of cases of health-related issues. Indiatourism Mumbai will be organising cleanliness drive at important tourist sites during the period, including clean-up activities, pledge swearing, awareness activities, essay competition, nukkad natak, etc.

Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) conducted a roadshow in Delhi to enhance commercial ties with the Indian travel trade fraternity. The 20-member delegation comprising destination management companies (DMCs) from Israel interacted with over 200 key travel and tour operators, MiCE providers, upmarket leisure operators and media personnel. Interactive B2B sessions, education programmes and workshops were held to aid trade members in planning itineraries and responding to customer queries. Hassan Madah, Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism – India & Philippines said, “Tourism is on the rise in Israel and inbound arrivals from India has appreciably increased in the last few years. More than 44,000 Indian tourists have already visited the country from January to July, 2018. The introduction of Air India’s direct flight connectivity from Delhi to Tel Aviv received an overwhelming response resulting in the national carrier to increase their frequency to four flights a week.” In March this year, Air India launched its historic direct flight operations from New Delhi to Tel Aviv. Madah added, “We have positively introduced various initiatives to ease the visa procedure for Indians. Along with relaxation of documents for persons who have availed visas of Schengen countries, US, Canada, Australia or Israel and have completed their travel to these countries, Fast Track visa processing for Israel was also incorporated earlier this year. Additionally, reduction in visa fee to Rs 1,100 will encourage more people to choose Israel as a holiday destination boosting inbound numbers from India.”

The upcoming India Tourism Mart (ITM), jointly organised by Ministry of Tourism and Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), have selected a total of 274 buyers out of over 600 applications received for the same. MOT and FAITH, with representatives of its various member associations held a curtain raiser of the India Tourism Mart in New Delhi, where updates were shared on the progress of the event scheduled to be held from September 16-18, 2018. Subhash Goyal, Honorary Secretary, FAITH, shared, “We have selected 274 buyers out of over 600 applications by a screening committee to ensure that we only have genuine buyers. For sellers, we have about 16 participating states, out of which the major partner states are Punjab and Gujarat. Around 70 small booths have been taken by tour operators, worth Rs 60,000 on individual basis and Rs 30,000 each on sharing. This totals to about 100 tour operators. Besides, IATO has taken six booths with 12 operators each, for whom IATO has subsidised the rates at around Rs 15,000 each. Similarly, ATOAI has taken a number of booths. We have even given booths for operators in the Northeast.”

Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, launched the Ministry of Tourism website on important Buddhist sites indiathelandofbuddha.in and a new film showcasing the Buddhist sites in the country at the inaugural function of  International Buddhist Conclave 2018, held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. This website is different from the Incredible India website which was launched recently. Apart from that, as part of Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India 2.0 campaign, Kovind also launched a new ad film which showcased Buddhist tourism sites across the country.  

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has announced to roll out the facility of Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) to the nationals of South Korea with effect from October 1, 2018. The facility will be available with double entry for a period of 60 days for business, tourism, conference and medical purposes at the country’s six major international airports which are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.