2020 has much to achieve

From improving hinterland connectivity and promoting Indian heritage to organising well-targeted conclaves and empowering tourist guides with certification programmes, Ministry of Tourism is keeping itself busy.

Nisha Verma

In recent months, Ministry of Tourism has under- taken a number of steps to boost visitor numbers to the country. Of these steps was the inauguration of Kutni Island Resort near Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, on January 18. Sharing details on the project, Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, MOT, said, “Kutni Island Resort has been launched under the fully- funded Swadesh Darshan scheme of MOT. The project has been completed in two and a half years and is situated on a reservoir. It houses 10 double-occupancy rooms and is a beautiful facility. We want to encourage people to visit the destination.”

We are working with MoCA to increase air connectivity and with Ministry of Railways to improve facilities at platforms

Domestic projects

Brar revealed that the government is focused on developing the heritage and culture of India and that there are many projects at different stages of completion across the country which are great value additions to the experience of tourists. “We are also working with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to increase connectivity under UDAN. We are working with Ministry of Roads to not only upgrade, but also provide last-mile connectivity to these places that are being developed. We are also working on creating wayside amenities, whether maintained by National Highways Authority or by state governments. Discussions are also on with Ministry of Railways to improve facilities at platforms,” she shared.

IITFC

The Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification (IITFC), which was rolled out on January 1 this year, already has 3200 enrollments, revealed Brar. “The programme started off really well and there has already been a growing interest in people to join the programme. Currently, there are about 3200 people who have enrolled,” she said. Commenting on the reaction of existing guides at the IITFC programme, she said, “Typically, to any change or anything new, there is always a little resistance. However, these guides are being sensitised to make them understand that their profession in no way going to be hindered.”

Working with the trade

“They are the ones who execute what we do in terms of policy thought and vision statements. Hence, we continue to have a lot of interactive meetings and workshops. That is an ongoing exercise. Also, we are working very closely with the stakeholders in identifying key markets from where we can increase footfalls to India and also create a specific strategy depending on each of these markets. We are engaging with tour operators to create and curate itineraries that are specific to these markets,” Brar said when talking about MOT’s association with the travel trade fraternity. “We are also in continuous dialogue with NITI Aayog. There is a lot of organic interaction that helps both of us develop our strategies as we move forward,” she added.

Buddhist  Conclave

This year, MOT is due to organise a Buddhist conclave that will be held in late September or early October, Brar revealed. While dates have not been finalised yet, MOT is gearing up for it and expects active cooperation from all stakeholders in the process.

20 million by 2024

Despite a growth of 3.2 per cent in 2019, Brar claimed that there is no reason why India could not get 20 million tourists by 2024. “In fact, we are sure to cross this target. As long as we put the right products, right processes and the right promotions in place, there is no reason why we cannot achieve the target,” she shared.

MOT is also developing the Vision Document 2020 with the PMO, Brar revealed.

“In line with the focus on domestic tourism, we have also launched the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ quiz up until June 30, 2020. The idea is to educate people about the tourism offerings in the country. We encourage everyone to join the programme on mygov.in for this quiz. It’s about 20 questions that tell you about a place and of course, you can also win prizes when taking the quiz,” she added.