Category Archives: MOT

M. Mathiventhan, Tourism Minister, Tamil Nadu, has announced a new master plan to improve the infrastructure of 300 tourist sites, and to develop a tourism policy. He said that a tourism destination development scheme is to be designed for the development of tourism sites, which includes, adventure sites, and eco-tourism sites. They will develop helipads for helicopter services in Rameswaram, Madurai, and Kodaikanal.

The Karnataka Chapter of TAAI, in collaboration with the MSME Development Institute, conducted a virtual workshop to educate members about various schemes of Ministry of Micro, SME. This is part of the series initiated by TAAI at pan-India level to educate its members about the benefits and reliefs extended by the Ministry of MSME. Gopinath Rao, Deputy Director, MSME Development Institute, Bengaluru shared various schemes and initiatives of MSME and explained how it can benefit businesses at large. He specifically mentioned the schemes which attendees may avail finance, both at micro and macro levels.

The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) is reportedly planning to lease out ‘The Ashok’ to investors and turn the 25-acre property into a ‘multi-purpose’ building, which would have an array of facilities including service apartments and a mall, revealed an official. According to a PTI report, MOT working on the details of bidding and aims to complete the process in the current financial year. “The intention is to turn ‘The Ashok’ into an iconic building which would house service apartments, besides a mall and other amenities taking advantage of its location,” said the official.

Amitabh Kant participates in Investors conference on Eco Tourism projects at Minicoy, Kadmat & Suheli islands. In a tweet, he mentions that responsible & sustainable tourism is based on carrying capacity in Lakshadweep islands. “Sensitive tourism can emerge as a big job creator for local islanders,” he said, stressing on the need to develop sustainable tourism products on the island.

Encouraging his members to register themselves with MoT and as MSMEs, Jitul Mehta, Chairman, Western India, TAFI, says, “I have been talking about MoT and MSME since the last five years. These topics are very close to my heart and I shall continue to focus on them for our members. There are benefits in terms of the government schemes for accredited tourism entities and how MSME registration can help them obtain business loans at a lower rate with minimum documentation. Being registered as a MSME could also help to recover outstandings from corporates.”

Representatives from ‘Invest India’ gave a brief presentation on their tourism vision plan they are jointly developing with Ministry of Tourism at the recent ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ that took place in Ladakh. The presentation included short, medium and long-term plans for various segments such as adventure and wellness tourism in Ladakh.

Ministry of Health has issued revised ‘Guidelines for domestic travel (flight/train/ship/ bus inter-state travel)’ to States and Union Territories and announced, “to facilitate inter-State travel, while observing required precautions, the guidelines for domestic travel (flight/train/ship/bus inter-state travel) are revised so as to have a uniform protocol for domestic travel across the country.” The revised guidelines come in line with the “declining trajectory of COVID cases across the country after a peak in reported cases during mid-May as part of the second wave. It added that in case RT-PCR or RAT tests are required prior to entry into a State, as notified by the State government, it must be publicised widely to maximise traveller convenience. As per the revised guidelines, asymptomatic persons who have taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, 15 days having elapsed since the administration of the second dose, and are in possession of the final vaccination certificate issued through the COWIN portal, may be exempted from mandatory requirement of possessing a negative RT-PCR report or RAT test on their entry into a State Previously states could develop their own protocols with regards to quarantine and isolation as per their assessment of the local COVID-19 situation. According to the revised guidelines, passengers who are found symptomatic on arrival shall be subjected to Rapid Antigen Test at the Terminal to aid early identification. “In the event of an unusual surge in cases in any State/UT, the States/UTs may institute appropriate public health measures promptly and States may implement additional restrictions, based on local requirements,” the Ministry added.

G Kishan Reddy, Cabinet Minister, Tourism, Culture & DoNER addressed the mega-tourism event ‘Ladakh: New Start, New Goals’ virtually, where ‘A Tourism Vision for Ladakh’ document was unveiled which focuses on overall development of the Ladakh Region. “The Central government has also contributed Rs.23.21 Crore for Tourist Water Screen Projection Multimedia show and other tourist attractions and also developing Chaukihang Vihara Project under the PRASHAD scheme,” announced Reddy.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman has launched the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) that will include the government’s four-year plan to monetise its brownfield infrastructure assets. For this project, the Centre has finalised Rs 6 lakh crore worth infrastructure assets that will be monetised. The list includes a range of assets. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, has said, “15 railway stadiums, 25 airports and the stake of central government in existing airports will be up for monetisation.”

India organised the IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) Tourism Ministers’ virtual meeting recently where G. Kishan Reddy met the Tourism Minister of Brazil and the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of South Africa via videoconferencing. The meeting was to promote tourism cooperation among member states. A significant aspect of the meeting was the adoption of an outcome document on cooperation and promotion for speedy recovery of travel and tourism.