Category Archives: MOT

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, said that the MOT is very happy with the increased focus and attention on tourism. “All the stakeholders—central government, state government and private sector, will have to work together to take the mission that the PM has for the sector, to take it forward.”

According to the document shared by the Finance Ministry, the budget outlay for overseas promotion and publicity, including MDA, ₹167crores , which is less than 50% of the outlay announced in FY2022-23 (₹341cr). However, the revised outlay was eventually was ₹60cr for both overseas and domestic promotions.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of Bharat Parv in New Delhi, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, said “India has been able to succesfully counteract the pandemic impact as over 2-crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir, and many people are also visiting North East states of India.”

In the Union Budget 2023, it was announced that the government has increased Tax Collection at Source (TCS) for overseas packages from 5%to 20%. Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI, says that instead of reducing the TCS, it has been increased and it will hamper the business. Rajeev Sabharwal  (CA), Chief Executive, Gaurav Travels, says outbound industry should oppose this move.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, has said that the MOT has a clear plan and accountability is in place to ensure aggressive promotion of Incredible India in key source/emerging markets. “Necessary support to Indian tour operators will be channelized by the NTB for effective market penetration and promotion,” he added.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, has said that at international travel fairs, every country has significant representation of hotels and airlines at their stalls. “However, India only has tour operators and travel agents. There is hardly any presence of hotels and airlines. Going ahead, we need to ramp that up because we have world class airlines and hotels,” he said.

G Kishan Reddy, Minister of Tourism and Culture has said that the government of India has always felt that the promotion of India’s tourism will only be effective when different Ministries at the Union level and States work in cohesion by combining their domain expertise.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, addressing PATA India membership on future of overseas marketing & promotions in light of closing overseas promotional offices by MOT, said, “The strategy for overseas promotion and marketing will be taken over by the National Tourism Board of India, while any physical work to be done in international markets will be done by the missions, where MOT has already appointed officers in 20 major markets.”

Marking the National Tourism Day on 25th January 2023 under the aegis of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, seminars, cultural events and other programmes are being organised by the Centre where several states are conducting events to promote tourism in their region. The Indian government established January 25 as the National Tourism Day to raise awareness about the importance of tourism for the country’s economy. The day is observed to cultivate awareness among the global community on the importance of tourism and its social, political, financial and cultural worth.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India participated in FITUR from the 18th to 22nd of January in Madrid which is one of the world’s largest international travel exhibitions. In cognizance of the situation after the pandemic, This participation is significant to step up the recovery of inbound tourism to pre-pandemic levels. The Ministry of Tourism took a space of 253 sq. meters, with over 30 participants co-exhibiting with the India Pavilion to participate in the Exhibition. The India Pavilion was graced by the presence of the King and Queen of Spain and was formally inaugurated by His Excellency, Mr Dinesh K. Patnaik, Dr Abhay Sinha, DG SEPC, Indian Ambassador to Spain, Mr Mohammed Riyas, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Kerala, and Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Inauguration of the India Pavilion was done with Ribbon Cutting followed by Indian cultural performances and Yoga sessions. After the inauguration, the Indian delegation and participants went around the India Pavilion and booths of various participating states and tour operators. The participation was coordinated by Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC). During the day, Incredible India organized various Culture Performances, Yoga Sessions, Mehndi and Bollywood Dance Performances. The Indian Delegation led by Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism participated in key business meetings with senior leadership from Melia Hotels International, Palladium Hotel Group, Expedia Group, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Cushman & Wakefield, and the Indo-Spanish Chambers of Commerce. These meetings facilitated by the dedicated Industry Development & Investment Promotion (IDIP) Division at the Ministry of Tourism managed by Invest India, had discussions around investment opportunities in the Indian tourism & hospitality sector. …