Category Archives: States

Tourism has been given industry status by Haryana Government for land use purpose. The tourism projects identified under land use are activities relating to amusement, recreation, theme parks; adventure tourism projects; heritage hotels except standalone hotels, tourist resorts, food streets, outdoor dining areas, food courts, restaurants; commercial components within recreational and commercial activities etc. informed Devender Singh, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Government of Haryana. Singh added that the provisions would be applicable to mega projects only involving an investment of Rs 100 crore or above or employing more than 500 people. The conditions would also be applicable with prospective effect to all the new as well as expansion projects involving an investment of Rs 50 crore or more. He also added that the notification to this effect has been issued. (Source: Times of India)

Assam Government has allocated Rs 15 crore to ‘Awesome Assam’ brand. “Tourism will be promoted as ‘Awesome Assam’ with Rs. 15 crore allocated for publicity focusing on the one-horned rhino, Assam Tea and the mighty Brahmaputra,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma, Minister of Tourism, Government of Asssam. A new logo of Assam Tourism has also been launched. Sarma informed that aggressive publicity will be carried out outside the state with a single-window clearance policy being initiated for issuing permission to shoot films in Guwahati. In order to harness the tourism potential of tourist attractions like Kamakhya Temple and Majuli river island, the government has sanctioned Rs 33 crore for the development of infrastructure of Kamakhya. Sarma also revealed that PSUs like ONGC, OIL, NHPC and others have also expressed interest to invest in the tourism sector as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, the Centre has allocated Rs 120 crore for the five national parks in the state. Sarma invited ideas and plans for the development of tourism and informed that the state will develop tourism through partnership with the people.

Arunachal Pradesh Department of Tourism has roped in Bollywood actor John Abraham as the brand ambassador for the mystical land of Arunachal Pradesh. Joram Beda, Tourism Secretary, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, said, “Our focus this year lies in boosting the tourism sector and making Arunachal Pradesh a ‘Must See, Must Experience’ state. For this vision’s success, we need like-minded partners that see and understand our vision and can help us chart this path. We found such a partner in Viacom18 who have helped us get John Abraham, a superstar, an adventurer and a great human being on board. John has played a pivotal role in promoting North East India, primarily by putting NEUFC on the map of sports. We believe our association with him will strengthen our purpose of putting out our state in the Indian diaspora as a prominent tourist destination.” Commenting on the partnership with Arunachal Pradesh and roping in John Abraham as the brand ambassador for the states’ tourism, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18, said, “Arunachal Pradesh is a traveler’s paradise and a land of untold tales. In John we have a celebrity who shares our enthusiasm of weaving the stories of the mystical land into a single narrative of ‘Must See, Must Experience’ Arunachal Pradesh tourism. After all a journey is best when it is entertaining!” Excited about representing Arunachal Pradesh tourism, John Abraham said, “I am honored to have been chosen to promote the tourism of Arunachal Pradesh. I have always been fascinated with North East India: each state has its unique beauty, history and culture. It’s a state rich with culture, mysticism, great people and stunning views. When I’m there, all I need is …

In an attempt to leverage medical tourism in Telangana, the Tourism Department and Health Department of the state have come together to form a Medical Tourism Society. The society is aimed at creating a single platform for all stakeholders both public and private to interact and address issues regarding medical tourism. B.Venkatesham, Secretary Tourism, Government of Telangana, said, “Till now we have involved the hospitals, accreditation bodies, health officials and tourism officials in improving medical tourism but we understand the importance of medical travel facilitators and thus this platform will allow the travel agents to put up their issues and participate. The government will also assist and act as a facilitator to the travel agents functioning in this segment of tourism.”

Gujarat Tourism is offering 32 tourism projects to attract private investments at the forthcoming Incredible India Tourism Investor’s Summit (IITIS) to be held from September 21-23 in New Delhi. The total estimated value of the projects is around Rs 8,000 crore which include innovative projects with global appeal like Dev Ni Mori Buddhist tourist site development (Rs 1,200 crore), Sant Nagari, highlighting lives and contributions of India’s saints (Rs 600 crore), Giant Wheel at Sabarmati Riverfront (Rs900 crore) etc. S. J. Haider, Principal Secretary-Tourism, Government of Gujarat, says, “Gujarat will be a key partner state at IITIS. We will highlight around Rs 8,000 crore worth of projects in the summit. These will include major religious tourism projects like Dev Ni Mori, Sant Nagari and others. At the same time we will be putting forward modern tourism projects like the Giant Wheel at Sabarmati Riverfront, Global Village, Mini India at Adalaj in Ahmedabad, cruise tourism, aero sports etc.”Haider further informed that the state government aims to take up all these projects on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. (Source: Times of India)

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has announced the launch of Ganesh Darshan Tours for devotees in Mumbai. The Ganesh Darshan Tour will spin across the six of the most popular Ganesh pandals in Mumbai which includes Lalbaugcha Raja, Siddhivinayak temple, Andhericha Raja, Girgaoncha Raja Mumbaicha Raja and G.S.B. Sioncha Raja. The tour will commence from Dadar wherein 45 tourists in each AC bus will be accommodated. It will start from September 6-8, 2016 from 8am to 5pm at Rs 2,001 (inclusive of breakfast and lunch). Jaykumar Rawal, Tourism Minister, Government of Maharashtra on this initiative commented, “When it comes to Ganesh Chaturthi, the entire Mumbai soaks in its spirit, taking a break from the daily routine. The festival brings along with it a lot of excitement and enthusiasm amongst devotees. The initiative of the Ganesh Darshan Tours will not only increase tourism activities in the state, but also give an opportunity to tourists from outside the state to be a part of the festivities.”

Nashik will be developed as a mega tourist destination under the Visit Maharashtra plan 2017. Jaykumar Rawal, Tourism Minister, Maharashtra, Government of India, said that Nashik Circuit, comprising tourist spots in the region, would be promoted under the 2017 plan and the idea of ‘Visit Nashik’ would be publicised on the lines of Visit Maharashtra. He also assured of making air service available through small airlines and the gap payment will be borne by the Union and state governments. Various tourism options were also discussed like ropeway at Saptashrungi Gadh, promotion of medical tourism in the state, dam tourism, wine tourism and agro tourism promotion including the controversial boat club. “The chief minister announced 2017 as Visit Maharashtra year. He wants to give number one priority to tourism. We are trying to attract tourists not just from India but from abroad. We can promote Nashik in Visit Maharashtra project. Our tagline Maharashtra Unlimited can also be applied as Nashik Unlimited. We will develop a circuit here,” said Rawal. He further revealed that Nashik Circuit will include travel from Mumbai to Igatpuri, Trimbakeshwar, Bhandardhara, Bhavali, Hathgad, Shirdi, Shani Shingnapur, Nandur Madhyameshwar, Saptashrungi, Chandwad, Nashik, Trimbakeshwar in a planned manner. “We can have Godavari Aarti every evening like Ganga Aarti. Nandur Madhyameshwar Bird Sanctuary is of international importance. We will also resolve the problems with respect to Gangapur Boat Club and will start it soon,” said Rawal. (Source: Times of India)

West Bengal has scaled up one point to become the 8th preferred destination among the domestic tourists and 6th preferred among the international tourists for 2015, informed Surajit Bose, Additional Director and Ex-officio Joint Secretary – Tourism, Government of West Bengal. “In 2015 West Bengal recorded a tourist footfall of 7,16,82,950 as against 5.04,15,685 in 2014,” he said. “The budgetary allocation for Tourism Department has increased manifold over the years, from a meagre Rs 44 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 257 crore in 2015-16. This has certainly encouraged us and given more room for growth.” With a revamped brand identity, the state government is working on a slew of initiatives such as a home stay policy, several mega projects, launch of mobile app, among others, and aims to position itself among the top three most visited states.

The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu met Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism to discuss the issues for promotion of tourism and development of tourist infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh. Khandu said that there are many important tourist destinations in Arunachal Pradesh including many religious and pilgrimage tourist places which are to be developed and promoted. He emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh has great tourist potential which needs to be harnessed properly. Dr. Sharma assured the visiting Chief Minister that the Ministry of Tourism wants to help Arunachal Pradesh in promoting tourism, especially high-end tourism preserving natural beauty and eco-system of the State. Many tourism schemes in the State can be promoted with the help of North-East circuit and PRASAD scheme. He said that economic air fare packages will also boost the tourism sector in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) and Sky Chopper Logistics signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to introduce helicopter tourism in the city from Dasara festival this year. Ganta Srinivasa Rao, HRD Minister of State, Government of Andhra Pradesh, informed that the company would be allotted 1.95 acres at VUDA park for construction of helipad and three rooms to operate the services on payment of Rs. 50,000 a month to the VUDA. There are two packages on offer which will cover Kailasagiri to Bheemunipatnam and another will cover the areas of Araku and Lammasingi. The fares will also be announced soon. The passengers will get an insurance cover of Rs. 10 lakh. (Source: The Hindu)