Category Archives: MOT

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has identified 138 monuments as must-see monuments and information of all these monuments is made available on ‘must-see’ portal of ASI, revealed Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism. He said that there are 38 World Heritage Sites in India, out of which 22 cultural sites including monuments/ buildings and caves are under protection of ASI. There is no such division between repair and maintenance activities. Conservation includes all actions at the site for repair, maintenance and protection of the monuments. The expenditure is incurred as per the requirement of works at different sites and availability of resources.

According to India Tourism Statistics 2019, 52,66,898 foreign tourists visited India in the first half of 2019, registering a growth of 2.2 per cent over the same period last year, when 51,51,321 FTAs were registered. However, this is still a steep decline when compared to FTA growth in 2018 over 2017, which stood at 7.7 per cent. In the first half of 2019, the month of January recorded the highest number of foreign arrivals, registering 11,03,380 FTAs.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, organised a workshop in  Delhi on its ambitious online Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Programme (IITF) for industry stakeholders to give them an overview about the training programme. The registration for the programme starts from December 20 and the course will begin from January 1, 2020. The fee for the same is Rs 2,000 and applicants belonging to SC/ST category and residents of J &K, Ladakh are exempted from any fee. 10+2 is the minimum educational qualification to enrol into the programme. However, applicants above 40 years of age need 10th passing certificate. Going forward, the Ministry is looking to come up with an e-market place, which can accessed by individual travellers too. For providing support and assistance, the Ministry has also released a new toll free helpline number.   Expressing her views during the workshop, Meenakshi Sharma, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India said that the Ministry has received a very good response since they have announced the programme. “We have already received 7,500 queries for IITF on our system. We are expecting to get around 20,000 registrations in one month’s time after it starts. It is very encouraging to see such a response,” she said.   The content of the course and module has been designed by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management (IITTM) and strategic and technological support has been provided by Wipro.  

The Government has formulated special action-plan for the development of tourism in Sri Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a project development of Heritage Circuit: Anandpur Sahib – Fatehgarh Sahib – Chamkaur Sahib – Ferozpur –Amritsar – Khatkar Kalan – Kalanour – Patiala in Punjab for Rs.99.95 crore in the year 2018-19. Submission of project proposals by the State Governments/ UT Administrations under the above scheme is a continuous process. The projects under the schemes are identified in consultation with the State Governments/UT Administrations and are sanctioned subject to their adherence to relevant scheme guidelines, submission of suitable Detailed Project Reports, availability of funds and utilization of funds released earlier.

India’s tourism sector is adopting a new digital and social media strategy to increase the flow of visitors from the East Asian markets, with a focus on China’s millennial, said, Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT, post Incredible India roadshow in Singapore. She adds, “The feedback from Chinese millennials has helped understand their travelling needs. With such feedback, tour operators have been urged to plan tour products that offer more than the clichés.”

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of Tourism, Government of India, unveiled ‘Indian Culture’- an interactive web portal for digital preservation of cultural artifacts of India. Patel said that this portal will be a one-stop-shop for all the information along with pictures related to rare images of monuments, detailed accounts of Indian UNESCO World Heritage Sites, rare books, paintings, cuisines and research papers. The platform is live now on www.indianculture.gov.in and hosts data of cultural relevance from various repositories and institutions all over India. The portal was envisioned by Ministry of Culture in 2016 and IIT Bombay built the resources of the portal from scratch. Apart from the content hosted on the portal, one can also browse content available on the website of Ministry of Culture organisations.  

Government has implemented schemes for the promotion of local tourism in the country. Under the scheme, the Ministry undertakes promotions through advertising in print and electronic media, participation in fairs and exhibitions, organising seminars, workshops for stakeholders and service providers, as well as printing of brochures, collaterals etc. The various tourism products are also promoted on the Social Media accounts and website of the Ministry. Government is raising awareness regarding local tourism and to promote local religious and non-religious spots to the tourists coming from both outside and within the State. The Ministry of Tourism, under its Domestic Promotion and Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) scheme for promotion of Domestic Tourism implements various measures for the promotion of tourism in the country. The main objective of DPPH Scheme is to create a general awareness among the domestic population about the potential tourist destinations in the country, which will help to increase the local / domestic tourism market. The Ministry through its 20 domestic India Tourism Offices located across the country, which also act as information centers, undertakes the promotional activities to promote India in a holistic manner which includes promotion of domestic/local tourism by raising awareness about local tourism products which include local religious and non-religious spots for the tourists coming from both outside and within the State.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will set up another museum to house objects excavated from across India which have been lying in the Central Antiquities Collection at Purana Quila. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 2 crore and is proposed to be opened by April 2020. The museum will be housed in the arched cells of Purana Quila. Central Antiquity Collection Section is a centre for housing the collection of antiquities explored and excavated by Archaeological Survey of India. These antiquities date back from the pre-historic period to post independence era. The objective to open new museum is to display antiquities such as tools, potteries, terracotta, beads of semi-precious stones, sculptures, architectural fragments, etc. for general public, students and research scholars. This information was given by the Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

Meenakshi Sharma, Director General, Tourism, updated the industry stakeholders on the initiatives of Ministry of Tourism (MOT) at the 8th Update and Outlook Meeting organised by PATA India Chapter. Speaking at the event, she revealed that the Incredible India Tourism Facilitator Certification (IITFC) Programme will finally be launched in the first week of January 2020, and the registrations for the same would begin in the last week of December 2019. She said, “The Tourism Facilitator scheme came up last year as a thought process and had the approval of the authorities. We are ready to launch the scheme and hopefully by first week of January it will be out. Registrations would begin in last week of December 2019.”

Anup Wadhawan, Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has requested the healthcare industry to set up an online web portal, which will facilitate international patients coming to India for treatment. The portal will have relevant information and services to help patients plan their travel and treatment. Speaking at the 5th International Summit on Medical Value Travel at ‘Advantage Healthcare India 2019’, Wadhawan said, “Medical value travel is beyond just treatment, it’s treatment-plus and the industry should see what the qualitative aspects are that need to be improved in our healthcare services.” Wadhawan added that India has significant medical infrastructure, yet the majority of these are in the metro cities. To provide comprehensive medical coverage, it is imperative that rural areas should also have access to the latest and affordable healthcare.