Category Archives: MOT

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, has said that they will soon launch digital and social media campaigns. “We are working on that and we have plans to have wherever possible some physical events also. We want to launch the campaigns this month itself,” he says. Singh further adds, “Apart from our India tourism offices, the government has nominated 20 nodal officers in the missions. With their help also, we intend to launch promotional campaigns.”

The main goal of this event was to boost the Indian hospitality and tourism industry and to give lodging units, self-certified on SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness, and Training for the Hospitality Industry) on the OTA platform, a lot of visibility. The MOU also specifies both parties’ obligations to encourage units to register on NIDHI and, consequently on SAATHI, as well as to support the local tourism industry with essential safeguards to prevent COVID-19 spread.

The Ministry of Health & Welfare has just released a new list of 96 countries with which the government of India has an agreement for mutual recognition of the vaccination certification for individuals that are fully vaccinated with either the nationally-recognised or WHO-recognised COVID-19 vaccine. This list was released on November 9, 2021.

Speaking at a symposium on developing film tourism and facilitating film shoots in India, Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, said, “I request all states in India to establish film promotion offices that will help co-ordinate with all necessary departments to give permissions for film shoots on time. And of course develop film tourism policies if you don’t have them.”

Ministry of Tourism in association with Ministry of Information and Broadcasting organised a Symposium on Film Tourism in Mumbai yesterday aimed at promoting film tourism and establishing domestic destinations as preferred filming destinations. The symposium’s aim was to reach out to the tourism industry in terms of the opportunities available in the states for conducting film shootings. Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, Govt of India said, “I request all states to establish film promotion offices to help coordinate will all necessary departments to give permissions for film shoots on time. Also develop film tourism policies.”

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has prepared the Guidelines for Sustainable Ecotourism in Forest and Wildlife Areas-2021. The overall goal of these Guidelines is promoting better understanding of nature and wildlife conservation while generating income and opportunities for the local communities in an ecologically, culturally and economically sustainable manner. The States Union Territories may take further action, as appropriate, in this regard.

Tourism ministers and leaders from South Indian states were urged to push for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, as per Govind Mohan, Secretary, Culture. “A national implementation committee led by the Home Minister manages these programmes at the central government level, and the Prime Minister oversees them periodically.” The states must put equal focus on execution, with state-level implementation committees led by senior ministers reviewing what was done, what needs to be done, and then carrying out those programmes.

G Kamala Vardhan Rao, DG, Tourism, has said that every state is competing when it comes to tourism. “Every state has a different budget allocation in a big way. Hence when state governments worlk alongside central government, it’s a fine way of synergy and a way forward by developing products. Once product is developed, we are now seeing some green shoots after the pandemic,” he said.

Speaking at the Conference of Tourism & Culture Ministers of Southern Region in Bengaluru, Ajay Bhatt, MoS, Tourism, has said that under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, MOT has sanctioned 15 projects, which include projects in Andhra Pradesh worth ₹141 crore; 5 projects in Kerala worth ₹413 crore; three projects in Telangana worth ₹266 crore; projects worth ₹73 crore in Tamil Nadu and in Puducherry projects were ₹148 crore.

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DoNER, in his address at the Conference of Tourism & Culture Ministers of Southern Region in Bengaluru, has said that the event is in line with the Prime Minister’s idea of cooperative federalism where GoI and state governments come together to find solutions for better India and for best cooperation. “Tourism sector is one of the major sectors that will create maximum employment. We should concentrate on creating employment generation in the southern region as well,” he said.