Govt To Soon Release 'Master List' Of Tourist Sites For Holistic Development: Shekhawat

The government will soon release a "dedicated master list" of tourist sites for their holistic development, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Friday and asserted that this will be a new effort to bring the unbelievable sites of "Incredible India" on a global platform.

In his address at an event hosted by the tourism ministry at the Vigyan Bhawan hereto mark World Tourism Day, Shekhawat also said under the "Chalo India" campaign, one lakh foreign tourists will be exempted from paying the visa fee in the coming times.

Besides, he also announced the launch of an initiative by his ministry -- "Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi" -- spanning 50 tourism destinations across the country.

These destinations include Sri Vijaya Puram (earlier Port Blair) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bodhgaya in Bihar, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kevadia in Gujarat, Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir and Ranchi in Jharkhand.

Through this initiative, the Ministry of Tourism aims at elevating the overall experience for tourists at these destinations by having them meet "tourist-friendly" people who are "proud ambassadors and storytellers for their destinations".

"This is being done by providing tourism-related training and awareness to all individuals who interact and engage with tourists in a destination," the ministry announced.

World Tourism Day is celebrated every year with a special theme. This year's theme is "Tourism and Peace".

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was the chief guest at the event that also highlighted the crucial role of tourism in fostering development and global harmony.

Shekhawat said tourism is a sector that connects everyone and bridges the gap between cultures and countries.

And in Indian culture, "we speak of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the entire world is a family)", he said.

The tourism minister announced that a "dedicated master list will soon be released for a holistic development of tourist sites".

The list will be jointly prepared by the tourism ministry, culture ministry, civil aviation ministry, railway ministry, transport ministry and ports, shipping and waterways ministry, he said.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi were also present on the dais.

"This list, in the coming times, will prove to be a milestone in the development of the tourism sector and new destinations. In the next three years, development of these tourist sites and new tourist sites will be taken up on priority. This will be a new effort to bring the unbelievable sites of Incredible India on a global platform," Shekhawat said.

"We will make this list public so that private investment and industry stakeholders can also contribute to it.... And the Dekho Apna Desh sites will also be included in it," he said, adding that a "big jump" in domestic tourism is being witnessed after the "Dekho Apna Desh" campaign was launched.

India has seen an "unprecedented growth" in the last 10 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and a new identity of the country has been forged on the world stage, Shekhawat said.

The way the world views India has changed in the last few years and the country has been successfully established as a most-desired destination, he asserted.

"The shine and attraction of Incredible India have placed India, which has thousands of years of history and traditions and many achievements to dazzle the world in the field of modern knowledge and science, on the world stage," he said.

And if any sector has drawn the "maximum benefit" from this whole-of-government approach, it is tourism, the minister said, adding that new highways, airports and railway infrastructure have taken the sector to "new heights" in the last few years.

A series of MoUs were signed on the occasion between the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) run by the tourism ministry and various global hospitality chains.

A handbook on industry status to tourism and hospitality and the Incredible India content hub -- a portal -- were also launched.

In her address, Union Tourism Secretary V Vidyavathi said, "Our efforts from the ministry and the Government of India are to promote the five Ps of tourism -- people, place, product, planet and promotion."

She said "our strength is our people" and diversity is the hallmark of destinations in India. From museums to temples, India offers everything for everyone.

The tourism secretary said these five Ps can lead to prosperity and peace.

She said "Atithi Devo Bhav" is "our second nature that makes India incredible".

"We are not just incredible India but we are and we should also become incredible Indians. That is the mission we have taken up in our government. Therefore, the next time we meet tourists, can we all, with a smile, thank them for visiting incredible India? One line will make them return to India and experience the incredible country," Vidyavathi said.

Diplomats from various countries, representatives from states and Union territories, industry stakeholders, among others, were present on the occasion.

On the "Paryatan Mitra" initiative, the ministry said since the pilot of the programme was launched on August 15, around 3,000 people have been trained at the six pilot destinations on the importance of creating a positive experience for tourists, thereby being a "Paryatan Mitra".

Driven by "Athithi Devo Bhava", taxi and autorickshaw drivers, the staff at railway stations, airports, bus stations, hotels, restaurants and homestays, tour guides, police personnel, street vendors, shopkeepers, students and many more were trained on the importance of tourism.

They were also trained on general cleanliness, safety, sustainability and on the importance of providing tourists with the highest standards of hospitality and care, the ministry said.