Tourism in ‘mission mode’

Going by the Budget speech of Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance, Government of India, the tourism industry can expect a lot from the government in the coming year. The government has proposed `2,400 crore outlay for the tourism sector with extended focus on Dekho Apna Desh, Swadesh Darshan and Unity Mall schemes.

Nisha Verma

Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance, Government of India, in her Budget Speech, highlighted that tourism promotion will be a priority for the government. She said that tourism promotion will be taken up in a ‘mission mode’ with active participation of states, convergence of government programs and PPP.

Speaking about tourism at length, she said, “With an integrated and innovative approach, at least 50 destinations will be selected through challenge mode. In addition, aspects such as physical connectivity, virtual connectivity, tourist guides, high standards for food streets and tourist security, would be made available on an app to enhance tourist experience. Every destination would be developed as a complete package. The focus of development of tourism would be on domestic as well as foreign tours,” she said, adding that sector-specific skilling and entrepreneurship development will be dovetailed to achieve the objectives of Dekho Apna Desh initiative and theme-based tourist circuits, as well as the Swadesh Darshan scheme. “Under the vibrant villages program, tourism infrastructure and amenities will be facilitated in border villages,” she said.

A total of `2,400 crores has been allocated to the Ministry of Tourism (MOT), with major portion of the outlay amounting to `1,742 crores allocated for development of tourism infrastructure and `242 crores for promotion and branding. An outlay of `1,412 crores has been allocated for the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. An amount of `250 crores has been allocated for the PRASHAD Scheme. The tourism sector holds huge opportunities for jobs and entrepreneurship for the youth and that 50 additional airports, heliports and aerodromes for regional air connectivity will be taken up, the minister said.