NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Tourism has been organising promotional activities and campaigns with special focus on social media across states and abroad to revive and support tourism. A round-the-clock multilingual tourist helpline, e-visa facilities for 156 countries, training for creating a pool of certified tourist facilitators and new regional routes for better air connectivity are among steps being taken to boost the tourism sector, which helps in employment creation.
The ministry and the regional offices are regularly communicating with the travel industry and other stakeholders on issues related to opening up the tourism sector, handling of tourists, safety protocols, security and service standards, said Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, while replying to a question in Lok Sabha on steps being taken to revive influx of foreign and domestic tourists.
Market development Assistance (MDA) guidelines to promote lndia as a tourist destination have been revised to benefit a larger number of tourism stakeholders, the House was informed. “The ministry launched the Dekho Apna Desh initiative, which is promoted extensively on social media and website of the ministry...
The ministry has been organising webinars, quizzes, discussions and roadshows to keep connected with the stakeholders and to encourage citizens to travel within the country,” said the tourism minister. The initiatives include special celebrations on the occasions of International Yoga Day, World Tourism Day, Constitution Day, Independence Day and regional festivals to create awareness.