An effort to restart domestic tourism

The three-day annual convention organised by Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) at Kevadia in
Gujarat, was intended to re-ignite the industry’s faith in tourism and restart domestic travel. And so, the convention was aptly themed ‘Domestic Tourism – Hope for the revival – Dekho Apna Desh’.

Neha Rawat

The 10th annual convention-cum-exhibition of ADTOI was held in a hybrid manner with the physical event taking place at the Statue of Unity (SoU), Tent City 2 in Kevadia. With the theme ‘Domestic Tourism – Hope for the revival – Dekho Apna Desh’, the event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Tourism and ADTOI with support from Gujarat Tourism. The event saw attendance from more than 400 delegates comprising ADTOI members, hoteliers, airlines representatives and senior government officials among other stakeholders of the tourism industry.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism & Culture, who inaugurated the event via video conferencing, said, “Our country should reach the top position from the current 34th spot in tourism soon. India believes in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam’ and has provided medicines to 140 countries and vaccine to 16 countries till now. This, I believe, will have a positive impact on tourism.”

Kevadia: A great package

Sharing his views on how Kevadia is the perfect example of how tourism can touch the lives of people at every level, Arvind Singh, Secretary, Tourism, Government of India, said that the destination has transformed into a complete family destination with many amenities. “It has direct rail connectivity with major cities in the country. The Ahmedabad-Kevadia Jan Shatabdi also has the Vistadome Coach which provides visitors a unique experience,” he said. Singh also added that the restrictions on travellers have been eased and interstate travel has restarted in the country. “Another encouraging news is that the vaccines have further boosted hopes for quick recovery,” the Tourism Secretary said.

He also informed that the Ministry, under its Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes, has sanctioned 132 projects for `7,103.12 crore at various tourism and pilgrimage destinations in the country. He appealed to all stakeholders, including governments and the private sector, to join hands and spread the message that it is time to travel again and ‘Dekho Apna Desh’.

Rupinder Brar, ADG, MOT, praised Gujarat and said, “Places like the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat have transformed after the earthquake. PM Narendra Modi, who was then the CM of the state, has been an important part of the transformation that you can see – not only in the physical landscape but also in the livelihoods of the people who are making their own way of life from their indigenous way of living. One can see the same kind of transformation at Kevadia and it has made a huge difference to the ecosystem. Kevadia City has come up as a great example of tourism which shall break records in terms of number of people that come to visit this destination.”

Pro-agent policies

Addressing the delegates, PP Khanna, President of ADTOI, said that the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative has to be encouraged even more to enhance tourist footfalls across the country. “We all should go for Vocal for Local and make strong efforts to promote domestic tourism. Gujarat Tourism has developed Kevadia which is one of the best upcoming M!CE facilities in the country. The city has everything, all the amenities with various modes of transportation. I believe we are ready to restart tourism again. It is time that destinations open, provided we give them the right packages. We have learnt a lot from going virtual, but tourism has to be physical,” he shared.

Khanna also addressed some of the issues of the industry and requested MOT delegates to consider giving tour operators and travel companies access to easy credit and relook taxation.

Also present at the event were Chetan Gupta, Convention Chairman and Hony. General Secretary, ADTOI; and Ashok Dhoot, Chairman, ADTOI – Gujarat Chapter. Sharing the idea behind this convention, Gupta said, “This is an initial step by ADTOI to restart and reinvent tourism. This is our small effort to restart domestic tourism in India. We were successful in holding this convention safely keeping all necessary guidelines for COVID in mind. In fact, more than 400 members attended the convention.”

Gujarat Tourism goes aggressive

Underlining key highlights of the state’s new tourism policy, Jenu Devan, Managing Director, Gujarat Tourism, said, “Earlier we had a complaint from travel agents that they have been neglected in state government policies and only the hospitality sector is getting benefits. But, our new tourism policy has much to offer. For instance, if someone is developing a high-priority tourist centre, they can avail 20 per cent capital subsidy. If someone is coming up with a theme park, they can avail a subsidy of 15 per cent if the capital is above `50 crore. For wellness resorts, a capital subsidy of 15 per cent will be given and for promoting sustainable tourism, if an e-vehicle is purchased, a capital subsidy of 15 per cent up to 2L will be given by the government. For availing the facility of government-recognised sustainable certificates, they can apply a reimbursement of 50 per cent of certification fee.”

Adding to Devan’s sentiments, Mamta Verma, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Government of Gujarat, said, “Kevadia is a sustainable tourist destination and has changed the entire socio economic function of the state. The Tent City allows guests the space to maintain social distancing. There are almost 33 locations in Kevadia City. The seaplane service and rail connectivity have started from the destination and Gujarat Tourism is making a lot of efforts to make it one of the prime tourism locations in India. We are also complementing the UDAN scheme by adding services in and out of the destination. Other spots such as Shivrajpuri Beach in Dwarka Somnath are also being developed for tourism.”

Shivrajpuri Beach is a blue flag beach which will open soon.