Tag Archives: Ministry of Tourism

G Kamala Vardhan Rao has been given additional charge of the post of Director General (Tourism), Ministry of Tourism. He would remain as the Chairman & Managing Director, India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. till appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier. The announcement was made by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, has said that he hopes that other states follow Maharashtra in doing away with RTPCR test for fully vaccinated travellers. He revealed that in a meeting with associations and state tourism boards, it was agreed upon that the states will work towards having uniform protocols in the entire country.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, has said that the Ministry will participate in World Expo 2020, being organised from Oct 2021 to March 2022 in Dubai. “We will especially be undertaking a major promotion during the tourism fortnight, which will be organised from December 31, 2021 to January 13, 2022 at the Expo. We look forward to participating as an important stakeholder at the India pavilion in Dubai,” he added.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), has revealed that in order to promote tourism and to augment tourist arrivals to the Buddhist sites in India, the MOT is proposing to organise the 7th International Buddhist Conclave in November 2021. “The exact dates will be revealed when we are proposing it at Delhi, Bodhgaya and Rajgir,” he shared.

Eco-tourism has been identified as one of the niche tourism areas by Ministry of Tourism for development in the country. Recognising the potential for the development of eco-tourism in the country, the Ministry of Tourism has identified ‘Eco Circuit’ as one of the 15 thematic circuits under the Swadesh Darshan scheme. MOT has been laying stress on maintenance of environmental integrity, considering the importance of developing tourism in an ecologically sustainable manner.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, has said that after considerable follow-up from all sides, even from Ministry of Commerce, the Department of Expenditure has said that they will release over Rs2,000 crore for SEIS in this financial year and a new budget has to be created. “The formalities have to be worked out, after which the amount will reach beneficiaries,” he shared.

The Ministry of Tourism has invited entries for the National Tourism Awards 2018-19. The last date for receipt of entries in the respective divisions in August 10, 2021, 16:00 Hrs. Entries are requested in hard copy, with accompanying material to send in a digital format. This year, MOT has included the Hall of Fame award as well.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism and Culture, Government of India, recently chaired a review meeting on eSamikSha platform with Ministry of Tourism officials. Also present were Arvind Singh, Secretary – Tourism and Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General – Tourism. eSamikSha is a digital governance platform for easy, instant and secure exchange of information. The portal has a flexi dashboard which provides officials the facility of customisation based on priority or requirements. It has a single-window communication channel linked with three layered robust tracking through Dashboard, Notification, email/SMS alerts.

Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, has welcomed the relief measures and free-visa announcement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. “We have been in discussion with the Finance Ministry on relief measures for the tourism and hospitality sectors. We welcome the announcement, as it will help in the revival of the sector and promote inbound travel to India. Tourism is one of the sectors that has been badly hit by the pandemic, and hence these measures are welcome.” Since the relief measures are for recognised tour operators, he urged more stakeholders in the industry to get registered.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C), Tourism & Culture, revealed that the International Yoga Day was organised at 75 cultural heritage locations across the country to commemorate 75 years of Independence. Considering the current pandemic situation, the number of participants for Yoga was restricted to 20 at each site.