Ministry of Tourism works in close collaboration with various stakeholders for the development of tourism in the country. Different mechanisms to seek synergy and convergence with stakeholders are:
i. National Conference of State Tourism Ministers which are held to discuss various issues related to the development of tourism sector in the country.
ii. National Tourism Advisory Council which serves as a ‘Think Tank’ of experts in the field of tourism and advises the Ministry on various tourism related issues. It includes representatives of various Union Ministries, Trade and Industry Associations and Individual Experts in the field of travel and tourism management.
iii. The Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee on Tourism Sector (IMCCTS) facilitates resolution of Inter-Ministerial issues involved in the development of tourism in the country.
iv. Meetings/Consultations held from time to time to take suggestions/inputs from stakeholders in tourism sector for the development and promotion of tourism in the country.
The promotion of tourist destinations and products is primarily the responsibility of the concerned State Governments/Union Territory Administrations. However, Ministry of Tourism promotes India as a holistic destination including historical significance of various tourism sites to boost tourism in the country. Several initiatives/programmes implemented throughout the country are:
i. Launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme with a vision to develop theme based tourist circuits.
ii. Launched the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme for holistic development of identified pilgrimage destinations.
iii. Launched the Adopt a Heritage Project for development and maintenance of tourist amenities at heritage sites/monuments and other tourist sites.
iv. Development and promotion of ‘Niche Tourism’ products to attract tourist with specific interest and to ensure repeat visits for the unique products in which India has a comparative advantage.
v. Launched 24×7 toll free Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline.
vi. Promoting India as a holistic tourism destination including its various tourism sites and products through Incredible India 2.0 Campaign.
vii. Providing facility of e-Visa for 5 sub-categories i.e. e-Tourist visa, e-Business visa, e-Medical visa, e-Medical Attendant visa and e-Conference visa for nationals of 169 countries.
viii. Revamp of Incredible India Website having information on tourism sites/destinations in different States/Union Territory Administrations.
ix. Launch of the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Programme on an online digital platform to provide basic, advanced and refresher courses for tourist facilitators.
x. E-Visa has been further liberalized and the visa fee has been substantially reduced.
xi. New mountain peaks have been opened for Mountaineering/Trekking to give boost to adventure tourism in the country.
xii. Lowering of GST on hotels rooms with tariffs of ₹1,001 to ₹7,500/night to 12% and those above ₹7,501 to 18% to increase India’s competitiveness as a tourism destination.
77 projects amounting to Rs.6035.70 crore and 28 projects amounting to Rs. 846.54 crore have been sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan Scheme and Prashad Schemes respectively. Details of the projects sanctioned are given below:
