Latest Updates on India’s Tourism Development

Recent RBI Move:

1. Reserve Bank of India has de-linked credit for Hotel projects from the commercial real estates (CRE). This will be enabling hotel projects to avail credit at relaxed norms and reduced interest rates.

Uttar Pradesh Buddhist Circuit Development Project:

1. Government of India has entered into a loan Agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for loan assistance to the tune 9495 million Japanese Yen (Rs. 395.63 Crore approximately) for Uttar Pradesh Buddhist Circuit Development Project. This Project includes development of Buddhist centres situated at Sarnath, Kushi Nagar, Kapila vastu, Sravasti and Sankisa. This project inter-alia includes improvement of nearly 74 kms. of road component; Storm water drainage system at Kushinagar & Sravasti; Site attraction enhancement in the area and signage import in the archaeological sites.
2. This project also includes Community participation, Tourism Promotion Programmes etc. The Ministry is also organizing an international meet with all trade and media representatives in Nalanda, Bihar in February 2010, to showcase India’s Buddhist Heritage.

New Scheme & New Awards:

1. New scheme to provide the required skilled manpower in hospitality sector is skill training in Food Production (cooks) and F&B; (waiters) sector under the Hunar se Rozgar tak and Skill Certification of existing service providers.
2. Renovation of Ashok Hotel was undertaken in a record time for it to be available for the General Assembly of Commonwealth Games held in October, 2009..
3. Ministry of Tourism on the occasion of National Tourism Award 2007-08 organized in February 2009 announced a new award titled as ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah – Pride of India Award’. This award is to be given to the individuals / Institutions for exemplary dedication to the cause of tourism by going beyond the call of duty.
4. Ministry of Tourism has introduced one new category of awards ‘Best Maintained City / Town / Village / Municipal / Civic Body’. This award will be given to encourage maintenance and upkeep of parks, tourist sites etc. Nominations are being invited from State Tourism Departments to recognize contributions of civic bodies, village panchayats etc.

Incredible India Compaign:

1. Incredible India film commercial shown globally to promote India Tourism has won prestigious international awards at Berlin, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Czech Republic and Croatia, and is being conferred the Grand Prix Award in Vienna on 13th November, 2009.
2. Incredible India has been on a long journey before winning the Grand Prix award. The film won awards at various Tourism film festival starting with Berlin in Germany, Plock in Poland, Campulong, Romania, Le Creust, France, Barcelos, Portugal, Karlovy Vary, Prague Czech, Split /Croatia. Minister of State for Tourism Shri Sultan Ahmed and Secretary, Tourism Shri Sujit Banerjee also spoke on the occasion.
3. The total cost for producing the film was Rs.3.17 Crores and the same was incurred by Experience India Society and the film was produced by Nirvana Films, Bangalore. No expenditure was incurred by the Ministry of Tourism on the production of this film.

The Incredible India campaign has won a number of prestigious International Accolades

1. PATA Gold Award 2009 – Marketing Media – Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media.
2. PATA Gold Award 2009 – Marketing Media – Travel Poster.
3. Conde Nast Traveller, UK in its Readers Travel Awards 2008 ranked India among the top 2 most favoured countries in the world.
4. Incredible India Website winner of PC World Web Award
5. “World Travel Award 2008” for “Responsible Tourism”
6. Global SASI (Shop America Salutes Innovation) Award to Incredible India by National Geographic Society
7. International tourfilm festival Plock 2009
8. Das Golden Stadttor Award at ITB 2009 for the Incredible India promotional film.
9. New Frontiers Award to Mumbai at Arabian Travel Mart 2009 for outstanding resilience.
10. The Incredible India campaign of ministry of tourism received the World Travel Award 2009 for the best destination marketing campaign.
11. The Incredible India Campaign received the “ASIAN GUILD AWARD” at the House of Lords in November 2009 for its contribution in spreading awareness about India among the Asians living in U.K.

Heliports :

1. Ministry of Tourism had decided to grant Central Finance Assistance (CFA) for the construction of Heliports in areas which are inaccessible but have tourism potential. For the first time in the country, the state of Sikkim has been granted CFA for heliport to develop three new destination projects namely Destination Development of Mangan Tourist Axis including Heliport in North Sikkim for Rs. 3.29 Cr., Geetang Khola waterfall including Heliport in West Sikkim for Rs. 3.25 Cr. and Berfung – Ralong Constituency including Heliport at Chemchey in South Sikkim for Rs. 4.22 Crs.

Cruise Tourism:

1. After the approval of Cruise Tourism Policy, between 25th to 27th October 2009, the ‘Aida Cara’ became the 1st International Cruise to Operate in India with Kochi as turn around port. 900 International tourists disembarked through this cruise and will travel all through the country while nearly 1000 tourists who were already in India embarked at Kochi.
2. Louis Cruise is also going to start its operations from December 2009, with Kochi as the homeport.
3. Similarly, Pandav Cruise operated its first international river cruise from Varanasi to Kolkata in September, 2009.

(Info compiled from newspapers. image comes via incredible India website)