The National Conference of State Tourism Ministers starts today till 20th September 2022
The National Conference of State Tourism Ministers, which begins today and will be held in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, aims to bring together various perspectives and viewpoints on the development and growth of tourism from all of India’s States and Union Territories.
This fosters direct communication with the States on national programmes, policies, and initiatives being implemented for an improvement in India’s tourism industry as a whole.
The National Conference also hopes to serve as a forum for the exchange of successful initiatives, best practices, and prospects for tourism-related products.
Why the Conference?
The National Conference of State Tourism Ministers is crucial as we approach India’s G20 Presidency because it tries to coordinate goals and initiatives to promote India as a must-visit destination worldwide.
Session involving in this Conference:
The conference is broken up into sessions focused on developing tourism infrastructure, cultural, spiritual, and heritage tourism, tourism in the Himalayan states, responsible and sustainable tourism, the role of digital technology in marketing and promoting travel destinations, the growing significance of homestays in the Indian hospitality industry, Ayurveda, wellness, and medical value travel, and finally, forest and wildlife tourism.
7000 crores, Swadesh Darshan Scheme and Prashad Scheme for Tourism Development
Under its various infrastructure development schemes, the Ministry has approved Rs 7000 crores to construct tourism infrastructure across the nation.
Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, 76 projects have been approved for the construction of tourist infrastructure based on diverse themes across 30 States and UTs.
The PRASHAD Scheme, under which 39 projects have been sanctioned in 24 States, aims to improve the tourist infrastructure surrounding spiritual sites.
This tourism, pilgrimage, and heritage cities are developing their infrastructure with an emphasis on cleanliness, security, accessibility for all, service delivery, skill development, and local people’s means of subsistence.
The Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0
The Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0 was recently introduced by the Ministry with the goal of creating destinations that are sustainable and responsible while focusing on the traveller and destination.
It is a development of the earlier Schemes, and its goal is to become a comprehensive mission to create sustainable and responsible tourist destinations, including infrastructure for tourism and related services, human capital development, destination management, and promotion, supported by institutional and policy changes.
In addition, the National Conference intends to create a shared vision for tourism’s development as we approach India in 2047.
2047 and Amrit Kaal
The goal of the conference is to start a shared dialogue between the State and Central Governments to establish the vision for tourism in India in the year 2047, with the next 25 years being the Amrit Kaal.
Shri G. Kishan Reddy, the Hon’ble Union Minister of Tourism, Culture, and DONER, said during the press conference that India has been associated with tourism, spirituality, change, culture, and variety during the past 75 years.
Celebrating the record-breaking expansion that propelled India’s economy to the fifth-largest in the world is a cause for immense pride. He said that there had been a notable growth under the direction of Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi. In 2018, the tourist industry contributed to 42.67 million jobs, or 8.1% of all employment, and earned INR 16.91 lakh crore (USD 240 billion), or 9.2% of India’s GDP.
As a result, the Ministry of Tourism established the tourism sector as its main focus and undertook a number of initiatives. It also adopted a four-pronged development strategy that focuses on enhancing the infrastructure and dependent services for the tourism industry, streamlining branding and promotion, and showcasing the culture and heritage.
Every town, city, village, and community in India is lucky to have distinct tourism attractions and destinations that also happen to be associated with the spiritual and cultural essence of the different regions, according to Shri Ajay Bhatt, Hon’ble Minister of State for Tourism and Defense.
The Hon. Minister of State for Tourism and Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Shri Shripad Naik, stated that encouraging internal travel had successfully rekindled tourism after the epidemic and given the international community more confidence to go to India.
Shri Arvind Singh, Secretary of Tourism, explained in the closing remarks that the power of tourism will be used to highlight the historical and cultural roots of the area as well as to capture the essence of a New India propelled by cutting-edge digital technologies, infrastructure growth, community development, and sustainability.
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