Tag Archives: MoT

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.  

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in September 2019 were 7,50,514 as compared to 7,19,845 in September 2018, registering a growth of 4.3%, according to statistics revealed by Ministry of Tourism (MOT). The FTAs during the period January- September 2019 were 76,33,454 as compared to 74,63,664 in January- September 2018 registering a growth of 2.3%. The percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India during September, 2019 among the top 15 source countries was highest from Bangladesh (27.86%) followed by United States (10.50%), UK (6.64%), Sri Lanka (4.18%), China (4.13%), Australia (3.45%), Malaysia (3.39%), Japan (2.65), Germany (2.34%), Canada (2.30%), Singapore (1.94%), France (1.84%), Nepal (1.81%), Korea (Rep.) (1.38%) and Afghanistan (1.29%).

During the month of August 2019, a total of 1,66,424 tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa, as compared to 1,50,457 during the month of August, 2018, registering a growth of 10.6%, according to statistics released by Ministry of Tourism (MOT). During January- August 2019, a total of 17,00,717 tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 14,18,534 during January-August 2018, registering a growth of 19.9%.

Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has identified Rural circuit as one of the thematic circuits for infrastructure development, with an objective to develop basic infrastructure for showcasing rural sites and culture of the country to tourists, revealed Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel at the Lok Sabha. He shared that MOT will enhance public infrastructure like tourist parks and tourism clusters in 15 identified circuits across the country. The minister highlighted that the initiative was taken under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. “Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, Integrated Development of Theme Based Tourist Circuits is developing tourism infrastructure in 15 identified circuits, across the country, having tourist potential in a planned and prioritised manner,” he said.

A recent whitepaper titled ‘Indian Tourism Infrastructure- Investment Opportunities & Challenges’ released by FICCI, reveals that employment generated through in 2017-18 was 81.1 million, which was almost 5 million more than what it was in 2016-17 (75.90 million). In 2015-16 employment created by tourism was 72.3 million, which was 69.5 million and 67.2 million in 2014-15 and 2013-14 respectively. The reports used data released by Ministry of Tourism (MOT), which was based on Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), which comprises of a set of 10 standard tables which are key to estimating the economic contribution of tourism in the economy. According to 3rd TSA, the share in employment generated by tourism increased from 12.19 in 2016-17 to 12.38 in 2017-18.

The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) in association with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) organised a touring session to four new museums at Red Fort Complex, Delhi for major tour operators and industry association members in order to give a wide publicity to these museums and discuss ways to make Red Fort a two-day destination. Satyajeet Rajan, Director General, MOT said that around 20 tour operators and other stakeholders, who specialise in promoting tourism in Delhi took the tour, which aims at educating the masses about the rich history and culture of the country. Situated in four barracks of Red Fort, the museum at Barrack 1 is all about First War of Indian Independence 1857 while the other museum at Barrack 2 contains specimens and information on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. A third museum at Barrack 3 covers history and life of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA movement, while Barrack 4 is a collaboration with ASI Delhi Art Gallery on contemporary paintings. The entire complex of museums will be known as ‘Kranti Mandir’ as a tribute to the revolutionary zeal and courage of the freedom fighters.  

Being in the forefront for promoting India as a preferred MiCE destination for years, ICPB has now requested the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) to declare 2019 as ‘The Year of MiCE.’ Chander Mansharamani, Vice Chairman, ICPB, informs, “We have recommended to Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, to declare 2019 as ‘The Year of MiCE’, which will certainly give us an opportunity to organise a number of activities in collaboration with all stakeholders throughout the year to propagate the importance of MiCE and its economic and social impact, and also undertake various marketing activities to promote India as a preferred convention destination.” On the year gone by, he added, “The year 2018 has been very fruitful and full of activities. We conducted training programmes and a successful international road show in Europe, 11th Convention India Conclave in Kolkata. We also participated at various international trade shows. “There has also been a substantial increase in our membership in the last one year, also the one-time membership of eight State Government’s, has not only given us the financial benefits, but also has enhanced the status of ICPB. Now, we can truly call ourselves a pan-India bureau.” Regarding plans in the pipeline, he said, “We are planning two international residential training programmes with ICCA and IAPCO, apart from regular training programmes. We will be holding  the12th Convention India Conclave in Kochi for which we have initiated the process with Kerala Government. We hope to open  new ICPB State Chapters in two more states. We will be conducting road shows in India as well as international road shows in the UK and Europe. We will also aim for a greater participation of ICPB in …

A CAPA India Inbound Tourism Report reveals that data from the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) shows that International Tourist Arrivals (ITAs) in India grew at a CAGR of 7.4 per cent in the three years to 2017. The report further tells that according to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), ITAs globally registered strong year-on-year growth of 6.7 per cent in 2017, to reach 1,322 million. This is the highest growth rate achieved for the last seven years. The last time visitor arrivals growth was this strong was in 2010, when the sector was rebounding after a decline in tourist arrivals during the prior year due to the global financial crisis. Europe reported the strongest growth in 2017, with 8.4 per cent higher international arrivals (671 million), followed by Africa at 7.8 per cent. Asia Pacific (5.8 per cent), the Middle East (4.8 per cent) and the Americas (2.9 per cent) — all grew at below-the-global-average rate. However, over a 10-year period from 2007 to 2017, Asia Pacific reported the highest average annual growth rate amongst all regions at 6.2 per cent.

India has witnessed a total of 51,63,343 Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in 2018, a growth of 7.9% compared to 2017, reveals a latest report ‘India Tourism Statistics at a glance 2018’ by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT). Last year, from January to June, the country saw 47,84,847 FTAs. However, in 2016, there were 41,68,864 FTAs during the same months. When compared, an increase of 14.8% was found in FTAs from 2016 to 2017. The report also mentions that in FY2016-17, the months of April and June saw 21.3% increase in the number of FTAs – the maximum in the year. In April 2016, there were 5,92,004 FTAs in the country, whereas 7,17,899 in 2017. The report also highlights that in the current year, March 2018 records the highest percentage (18%), with 10,25,830 FTAs in India.

The Ministry of Tourism has clarified that the Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India from the USA during 2017 have registered a positive growth of 6.17 per cent over 2016. Since 2010, the number of FTAs from the USA in India has never declined. However, it is observed from the report of National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO), USA, that the outbound tourists from the USA to India have declined by 7 per cent in 2017, as compared to 2016. The figures of outbound travellers in the report are 1,195,000 and 1,111,000 for the years 2016 and 2017, respectively. In the said report released by NTTO, it is also mentioned that traveller volume is based on the US Department of Homeland Security Advanced Passenger Information System wherein all airlines are required to electronically submit passenger data on flights arriving into and departing from the United States. Thus, it is obvious that the source of data for the report is only airlines reporting. In the cases where direct flight between the USA and India is not operating, it is not known whether the final destination is reported as India by the passengers. Moreover, departures at international check posts other than airports are not captured in the report.