Category Archives: MOT

Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, recently visited Shanghai in a bid to attract Chinese investment in India’s tourism sector. Close to 20 prominent investors participated in the event which was a part of roadshows being conducted in different parts of the world to promote participation of investors’ at the forthcoming Incredible India Tourism Investors Summit scheduled  to be held at New Delhi from September 21-23, 2016 being organised by MOT, in partnership with Tourism Finance Corporation of India and the CII. The Summit will bring together more than 20 Indian states unveiling a large bouquet of projects close to around 1000 in number, both of core infrastructure and those specific to various themes of tourism be it hospitality, medical, MICE, Buddhist, entertainment and cruise tourism etc, the Secretary informed the Chinese investors. He also said that what makes this Summit unique is that it would see a large no of B2G meetings and states would offer single window for foreign and domestic investors interested in picking up their tourism sector projects in the true spirit of ease of doing business. Zutshi also pointed out that never was there a more favourable time to invest in India than now with strong macro-economic indicators and the current government’s commitment to investment facilitation like never before. Several members who were present from the Chinese side expressed their interest in attending the Summit in now Delhi next month and appreciated the preparation of the Indian Government in attracting Tourism specific foreign investment.

The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu met Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism to discuss the issues for promotion of tourism and development of tourist infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh. Khandu said that there are many important tourist destinations in Arunachal Pradesh including many religious and pilgrimage tourist places which are to be developed and promoted. He emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh has great tourist potential which needs to be harnessed properly. Dr. Sharma assured the visiting Chief Minister that the Ministry of Tourism wants to help Arunachal Pradesh in promoting tourism, especially high-end tourism preserving natural beauty and eco-system of the State. Many tourism schemes in the State can be promoted with the help of North-East circuit and PRASAD scheme. He said that economic air fare packages will also boost the tourism sector in Arunachal Pradesh.

Foreign Tourist Arrivals during the July, 2016, were 7.36 lakh as compared to FTAs of 6.28 lakh during the same period last year registering a growth of 17.1 per cent over the same month the previous year. A sum of Rs.14, 319 crore foreign exchange was earned through tourism in July 2016. FTAs during the period January- July, 2016 were 49.22 lakh with a growth of 10.0 per cent as compared to the FTAs of 44.73 lakh with a growth of 4.6% in January- July, 2015. FEEs from tourism during the same period were Rs. 87,384 crore with a growth of 15.0 per cent. The top five countries with the maximum share in FTAs for July include Bangladesh (17.30%) followed by USA (16.51%), UK (11.67%), Malaysia (3.49%)and France (3.12%) while the Percentage share of FTAs among the top 5 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (26.22%) followed by Mumbai Airport (17.04%), Chennai Airport (10.11%), Haridaspur Land check post (9.82%) and Bengaluru Airport (7.31%).

Bharat Parv, a cultural celebration organised by the Ministry of Tourism from August 12-18 at Rajpath, will see participation from 17 states, revealed Vinod Zutshi, Secretary-Tourism, Govt. of India. Defence Minister Manohar Parikar inaugurated the event. Held in commemoration of Independence Day, the celebrations exhibit the vast tourism offerings of the country through a crafts bazaar and cultural performances, and showcase the variety of delicacies in the country. Highlights of the week-long affair include an exhibition by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting termed ‘Azadi 70 Saal – Yaad Karo Kurbani’ along with performances by bands from the Armed Forces. With celebrations commencing midday, the event is free for general public but identity proof will be checked at entries of the venue.

A total of 68,487 tourists arrived in July 2016 on e-Tourist Visa (eTV) as compared to 21,476 during the month of July 2015 registering a growth of 218.9 per cent. Status of achievements in respect of eTV availed by International tourists visiting India last year in 2015 has been surpassed in the first six months of the current calendar year 2016. During January- July 2016, a total of 5,40,396 tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 1,47,690 during January-July 2015, registering a growth of  265.9 per cent. This high growth may be attributed to introduction of e-Tourist Visa for 150 countries as against the earlier coverage of 77 countries. The percentage shares of  top 10 source countries availing e-Tourist Visa facilities  during  July, 2016  were as follows: UK (17.7%), USA (16.2%), France (6.7%), UAE (5.9%), China (5.4%), Spain (4.0%), Australia (3.9%), Germany (3.5%), Canada (3.4%) and Netherland (2.9%). The percentage shares of top 10 ports in tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa during  July, 2016  were as follows: New Delhi Airport (44.00%), Mumbai Airport (20.77%), Chennai Airport (9.43%), Bengaluru Airport (9.10%), Kochi Airport (5.10%), Hyderabad Airport (3.68%), Kolkata Airport (2.50%), Ahmadabad Airport (1.38%), Trivandrum Airport (1.35%)  and Amritsar Airport (0.99%).

Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism has said that the state governments/UTs must declare ‘Selfie Danger Zones’ at tourist sites to prevent any untoward incident. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Sharma said, “Provision of safety to tourists for various activities of tourism including safety-precautionary measures to prevent any un-toward incident including declaring of ‘Selfie Danger Zones’ at tourist sites is the primary responsibility of concerned State Governments/UT Administrations.” However, the state governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra have informed that they have taken measures to create awareness through signages indicating danger zones including selfie danger zones. The Ministry of Tourism also takes up the issue of ensuring safety and security of all tourists, domestic and international, with the State Governments and UT Administrations from time to time, Sharma said.

After easing visa services with the introduction of e-Tourist Visa (eTV), the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) is also planning to provide free Wi-Fi services at tourism hubs in India, revealed Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. He added that after discussions with various service providers, BSNL would most likely work with MOT to offer such provisions.

The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) will soon be providing SIM cards for tourists who avail the e-Tourist Visa (eTV) services, informed Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, MOT, Govt. of India. “We are in talks with a few service providers to partner with us for this and it will be launched very soon,” he said. Referring to the proposed eTV for MICE, he said that eTV for business tourists will most likely be rolled out first. He added the department is still working on other proposed amendments in eTV, such as modifying single-entry to multiple & extension of eTV application duration from 30  to 60 days.

The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has formed a task force with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to address and simplify regional connectivity scheme. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, MOT, Government of India, said, “By working together, we aim to make travelling for tourists much simpler especially for those who opt for the different theme based circuits.” A meeting was held last week between the two ministries to discuss the particulars and address complications that may arise. This would also simplify travel for the transnational Buddhist Circuit which is in the pipeline and has recently been approved.

The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has advised State Government/Union Territory Administrations to set up Hospitality Development Boards if the same do not exist in their respective States/Union Territories. The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has so far sanctioned 12 Institutes of Hospitality Management in the northeastern states. Out of these Central Institute of Hotel Management, Guwahati, Central Institute of Hotel Management, Shillong, State Institute of Hotel Management, Gangtok and Food Craft Institute, Nawgaon are operational. This information was given by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism in a written reply in Lok Sabha. The State Government of Maharashtra has reportedly setup Hospitality Development and Promotion Board. List of Institutes in North Eastern States for which Central Financial Assistance has been granted by MOT. 1.    Central Institute of Hotel Management, Guwahati , Assam 2.    State Institute of Hotel Management, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh 3.    State Institute of Hotel Management, Imphal, Manipur 4.    Central Institute of Hotel Management, Shillong, Meghlaya 5.    State Institute of Hotel Management, Aizawl, Mizoram 6.    State Institute of Hotel Management, Dimapur, Nagaland 7.    State Institute of Hotel Management, Gangtok, Sikkim 8.    State Institute of Hotel Management, Agartala, Tripura 9.    State Institute of Hotel Management, Jorhat, Assam 10.  Food Craft Institute, Nawgaon, Assam 11.  Food Craft Institute, Tura, Meghlaya 12.  Food Craft Institute, Namchi, Sikkim