Tag Archives: Nihal Chand Goel

The Great Indian Travel Bazaar opened with 275 foreign buyers and 288 exhibitors at The Lalit Jaipur on April 23. The inbound show committed to boost tourism in India and in Rajasthan was inaugurated by Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and Krishnendra Kaur, Tourism, Art and Culture Minister, Government of Rajasthan, Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson, Tourism Committee FICCI, Nihal Chand Goel, Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism, Art & Culture), Bhim Singh, President, Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan, and Rahul Chakravarty, Senior Director and Head-Tourism, FICCI. Addressing the show, Billa said, India is truly on a growth path. We have grown at a rapid pace of 11 per cent in 2016 and since January to date we have grown at a staggering rate of 16 per cent, there is nothing in the market to suggest that it will slow down. Domestic tourism forms a key part of Indian tourism. Last year we had 1.7 billion domestic travellers and we are growing at 8-9 per cent Y-o-Y. Admittedly we are growing on a narrow base but the potential of tourism in India is immense. All of you here are at the right place to lay the seeds for what will become a great engagement for a market that has huge potential. He also informed that accordingly to the World Economic Forum report, India improved its tourism competitiveness by 25 places over three years and tourism is the government’s main agenda.

Rajasthan tourism department has initiated the formulation of a new tourism policy. Nihal Chand Goel, Additional Chief Secretary-Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, informed that the department has started consultation process with various stakeholders on a range of elements to be incorporated in the new policy and the tourism department plans a huge campaign in the coming days in the conventional as well as new emerging mediums to lure tourists to the state in a big way. “Rajasthan tourism will kick-off a multi-modal and a multi-crore global marketing campaign, inspired by the Incredible India campaign, and the success of states like Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat in recent times,” he said. Besides organising music and folk festivals, new exhibitions and events for tourists will be organised to allow enable tourists to spend more time in the state. Goel further added that upgrading tourist facilities are a priority for the department which includes infrastructure like integrated plan for roads, tourist police, cleanliness drives and government-to-government partnerships. The launching of intra-state aviation connectivity between Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur is also part of the initiative to save time for tourists who require speedy travel modes, added Goel.