Category Archives: MOT

Arvind Singh, Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI) and a 1988 IAS officer of Maharashtra Cadre, has been appointed as the new Secretary of Tourism, GOI, and will be taking charge on February 1, 2021.  He will be replacing Yogendra Tripathi, who, after more than 2 years as Tourism Secretary, will be joining as Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals. Singh, had also served as Additional Chief Secretary (Energy) in Government of Maharashtra.

Ministry of Tourism will organise Bharat Parva 2021 on a virtual platform. There will be a small physical event, and the main event will continue till 31st January, which will have state pavilions showcasing various handicrafts, culinary attractions, culture, activities, etc. Attendees can explore the event at bharatparv2021.com. There will also be cultural performances, which could be viewed online.

Tourism Minister PS Patel recently conducted a presentation on the development of tourism across the Ganga Basin, where Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, DG, National Mission for Clean Ganga and senior officers of the ministry were also present. In a tweet, Patel revealed that decisions were taken on the location and components of the project.

Tourism Minister, Prahlad Singh Patel informed that they are developing Tourism Maps for tourists to get alerts for monuments and tourism destinations on their route. “We have asked Google to make tourism maps. Google Maps is already there, but if someone is on a tourism highway, it would give an alert,” he said.

To promote inbound tourism, the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has released the revised guidelines for the Marketing Development Assistance (MDA) for overseas promotions by tourism service providers. Under the new guidelines, the service providers will be entitled to more financial benefits and simple claim process. The guidelines will be effective from 1st January 2021.

Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on Wednesday virtually attended the 39th Board of Governors Meetings of the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) along with other office bearers at the Ministry of Tourism headquarters in Delhi. He announced the commencement of a national competition in Kargil from January 25 during the meeting.

Tourism & Culture Minister PS Patel recently met officials of NGMA Mumbai, ASI, Nehru Science Centre and The Asiatic Society at the Indiatourism Mumbai office, instructing them to base their promotion strategy going forward on the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ campaign of the Government of India that celebrates the diversity and unity of the nation.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism & Culture, was recently on a tour of Mumbai city. While there, he convened a meeting with the officers of Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture at Indiatourism office in Mumbai. Senior officers of both the ministries, its attached/ autonomous body and subordinating offices situated in Mumbai attended the meeting.

Acknowledging that in 2021, approach towards policy-making and implementing them will be vastly different, Union Minister for Tourism & Culture Prahlad Patel said that India’s wellness centres, Ayush hospitals offering alternative care will draw tourists post the pandemic and the ministry is in talks to tie up such centres with insurance firms so that tourists can avail insurance before arriving in India for treatment.

Ministry of Tourism’s Regional Office, Indiatourism Mumbai conducted a domestic tourism marketing campaign ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ under the theme ‘Explore Incredible India’ with a brand activation event in Reliance Mall, Borivali in Mumbai from Dec 25 until 31 Dec. Mall visitors were provided information on special promotional packages prepared by local travel agents and tour operators.