NEW DELHI: A mobile app for E-tourist visa, direct air-connectivity with major overseas markets, classification of tourist destinations into categories, special tourism zones and creation of five missions are among provisions stipulated in the draft of the new national policy to ensure sustainable, responsible and inclusive development of tourism.
Making India one of the top five global destinations by 2030 is the primary goal envisaged in the policy, which was finalised with certain additions considering long-term implications of the ongoing pandemic, by the ministry of tourism. The policy was shared with ministries, states for feedback.
“Idea is that post pandemic, if the tourism sector has to be strengthened, then there should be a long-term vision. There are five main features in the policy, which we will take up as missions. The policy has been circulated among the ministries and state governments; after examining feedback from them, the process to notify the policy will be expedited,” Rakesh Kumar Verma, additional secretary, ministry of tourism, said.
To align with sustainable development goals, the policy says, the government will set up a National Green Tourism Mission to implement a national framework, forging partnerships with the private sector and also for destination planning, development and management.
The digital tourism mission is planned to promote digitalisation for developing a unified tourism interface.
“Tourism and hospitality majorly contribute to employment generation. The Sectoral Skill Mission will make more people employable and check how those people are absorbed in the sector,” said Verma.
The National Mission on DMOs aims to establish synergy among stakeholders and government agencies and provide institutional support to promote destinations separately. The Mission on Tourism MSMEs is proposed to enable companies to avail various benefits being made available by the governments. The mobile app will be developed by tourism and home ministries for verification of data at the time of immigration and customs clearance.