Travel & Tourism Competitiveness increased

India Tourism shows a 25 places jump from 2013

Development of tourism infrastructure is being given priority to provide a better tourism experience to the tourists. Theme based circuits are being developed under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme spanning the entire country. A total number of 11 projects have been sanctioned during 2017-18 for a total amount of Rs.824.80 Crore. With this the total number of 67 projects have been sanctioned till date for an amount of Rs.5648.71 Crore under this Scheme.

Holistic development of identified pilgrimage destinations is being undertaken under the ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) Scheme. A total number of 3 projects have been sanctioned during 2017-18 for a total amount of Rs.98.84 Crore. A total number of 21 projects have been sanctioned till date for an amount of Rs.587.29 Crore under this Scheme.

Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency to formulate national policies and programmes for the development and promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and collaborates with other stakeholders in the sector including various Central Ministries/ agencies, the State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations and the representatives of the private sector. Tourism is a major engine of economic growth and an important source of foreign exchange earnings in many countries including India.

It has great capacity to create large scale employment of diverse kind – from the most specialized to the unskilled and hence can play a major role in creation of additional employment opportunities. It can also play an important role in achieving growth with equity. It has the main objective of increasing and facilitating tourism in India. Augmenting tourism infrastructure, easing of visa regime, assurance of quality standards in services of tourism service providers, etc. are some of the responsibilities of the Ministry.

Ministry of Tourism launched “Incredible India 2.0 Campaign” which marks a shift from the present generic promotions being undertaken across the world, to market specific promotional plans and product specific creatives, with greater focus on digital presence and social media. The Incredible India 2.0 Campaign is being released in the prime existing markets as well as important potential markets. Niche tourism products like Heritage Tourism, Adventure Tourism, Cruise Tourism, Rural Tourism, Wellness & Medical Tourism, MICE, Golf, etc. are being promoted through the Incredible India 2.0 Campaign. (jk/red)

Statistics

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) during the period January-November 2017 were 90.01 lakh with a growth of 15.6% over same period of the previous year, compared to FTAs of 77.83 lakh with a growth of 9.4% in January- November, 2016 over January- November, 2015.

During January-November 2017, a total of 14.57 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 9.17 lakh during January-November 2016, registering a growth of 58.8%.

Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) during the period January-November 2017 were Rs.1,60,865 Crore with a growth of 16.9% over same period of previous year. Whereas, the FEEs during January-November 2016 were Rs.1,37,588 Crore with a growth of 13.7% over January- November, 2015.

During 2016, the number of domestic tourist visits to the States/UTs was 1613.6 million as compared to 1432.0 million in 2015 showing double digit growth of 12.7% in 2016 over 2015.