Lok Sabha Question No. 262 (STARRED), answered on 2018-08-06
Subject: Development of Tourist Places
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: M. I. SHANAVAS, NIHAL CHAND CHAUHAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*262 ANSWERED ON 06.08.2018

## DEVELOPMENT OF TOURIST PLACES

*262. SHRI M.I. SHANAVAS: SHRI NIHAL CHAND:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  number  of  domestic  and  foreign  tourists  has increased or decreased during the last four years and if so, the details thereof in absolute and percentage terms;
- (b) the  number  of  foreign  tourists  estimated  to  visit  the  country during  the  year  2019  along  with  the  names  of  the  countries from  which  maximum  number  of  foreign  tourists  visited  the country during the last one year and their favourite destinations, country-wise and State/UT wise;
- (c) whether  the  decrease  in  foreign  tourists  has  affected  the revenue  of  some  States  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along with  the  details  of  revenue  earned  by  the  States  during  the last three years, State/ UT and year-wise;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  identified  the  monsoon  and winter places of tourist interest in the country  and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  is  contemplating  any  scheme  to develop tourism in areas less favoured by tourists as well as new  places of tourist interest in the country including Rajasthan and if so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  steps taken/being taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (SHRI K.J. ALPHONS)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the table of the House. *******

STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*262 ANSWERED ON 06.08.2018 REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF TOURIST PLACES.

(a) and (b): The Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) and Foreign Tourist Visits (FTVs) to different States/ Union Territories (UTs) have recorded increase during the last four years. The details of DTVs and FTVs along with the increase (in absolute and percentage terms) are as below:

(Figures in millions)

| Year                        | DTVs   | FTVs   |
|-----------------------------|--------|--------|
| 2014                        | 1282.8 | 22.3   |
| 2017 (P)                    | 1652.5 | 26.9   |
| Absolute increase 2017/2014 | 369.7  | 4.6    |
| Growth 2017/2014            | 28.8%  | 20.4%  |

P: Provisional

Note 1: Visit  is  different  from  arrival,  as  each  tourist  can  undertake multiple visits on each arrival. Note 2: Figures are rounded off and the percentage increase has been calculated on the basis of actual figures.

The number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals during 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 are as below:

|   Year |   Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India (in million) |   Annual increase | Growth   |
|--------|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------|----------|
|   2014 |                                             7.68 |              0.71 | 10.2%    |
|   2015 |                                             8.03 |              0.35 | 4.5%     |
|   2016 |                                             8.8  |              0.77 | 9.7%     |
|   2017 |                                            10.04 |              1.24 | 14.0%    |

Note:  Figures are rounded off and the percentage increase has been calculated on the basis of actual figures.

The top 15 source countries, accounting for more than 75% of the total FTAs in India during 2017 are as follows:

|   S. No. | Country        |    FTAs |
|----------|----------------|---------|
|        1 | Bangladesh     | 2156557 |
|        2 | United States  | 1376919 |
|        3 | United Kingdom |  986296 |
|        4 | Canada         |  335439 |

| 5   | Australia                 |   324243 |
|-----|---------------------------|----------|
| 6   | Malaysia                  |   322126 |
| 7   | Sri Lanka                 |   303590 |
| 8   | Russian Federation        |   278904 |
| 9   | Germany                   |   269380 |
| 10  | France                    |   249620 |
| 11  | China                     |   247235 |
| 12  | Japan                     |   222527 |
| 13  | Singapore                 |   175852 |
| 14  | Nepal                     |   164018 |
| 15  | Afghanistan               |   149176 |
|     | Total of Top 15 Countries |  7561882 |
|     | Other Countries           |  2473921 |
|     | Grand Total               | 10035803 |

Major States/UTs in terms of Foreign Tourist Visits (FTVs) during 2017 are as follows:

|   S. No. | State/UT      | FTV 2017 (P)   |
|----------|---------------|----------------|
|        1 | Maharashtra   | 5078514*       |
|        2 | Tamil Nadu    | 4860455        |
|        3 | Uttar Pradesh | 3556204        |
|        4 | Delhi         | 2740502*       |
|        5 | Rajasthan     | 1609963        |
|        6 | West Bengal   | 1574915        |
|        7 | Punjab        | 1108635        |
|        8 | Kerala        | 1091870        |
|        9 | Bihar         | 1082705        |
|       10 | Goa           | 842220         |

Source: State Government/UT Administrations P: Provisional *: Estimated figures

Ministry of Tourism has not made any projection of FTAs for the year 2019.

(c): Ministry  of  Tourism  does  not  compile  information  on  revenue earned  from  tourism.  However,  the  estimated  Foreign  Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through tourism in India during 2015, 2016 and 2017 were  Rs.1,35,193  crore,  Rs.1,54,146  crore  and  Rs.1,77,874  crore, respectively. State/UT-wise break-up of FEEs is not available.

(d): Development  and  promotion  including  identification  of  tourist places is primarily the responsibility of State Government/UT Administration. However, the Ministry of Tourism promotes 'Seasonal Travel' in India through its website: incredibleindia.org by highlighting destinations popular among  tourist during a particular season. Presently, the Monsoon Tourism Campaign is live on the website. The details of the campaign is available under the link: https://www.incredibleindia.org/content/incredibleindia/en/popular-inindia/monsoon-delights-of-india/all-monsoon-delights.html highlighting /showcasing  some  of  the  important  Monsoon  destinations  in  the country.

Further,  in  order  to  take  care  of  seasonality  in  tourist  inflows, the  Ministry  of  Tourism  promotes  India  as  a  365  days  destination  in the  source  markets.  For  this,  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  taken  the initiative of identifying, diversifying, developing and promoting various niche products of the tourism industry.

(e): Ministry of Tourism has two flagship schemes namely 'Swadesh Darshan' and 'National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)' for the development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities to promote tourism in the country including Rajasthan.

Under Swadesh Darshan scheme, fifteen thematic circuits have been  identified  for  development,  namely,  North-East  India  Circuit, Buddhist  Circuit,  Himalayan  Circuit,  Coastal  Circuit,  Krishna  Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit &  Sufi  Circuit.  Till  date,  Ministry  has  sanctioned  69  projects  worth Rs.5711.79 Crore to 29 States/UTs under this scheme.

Under  the  Rural  Circuit  and  Tribal  Circuit,  Ministry  of  Tourism aims to provide a unique experience to travellers visiting the country and thus to develop and promote lesser known destinations located in remote areas as well as the tribal areas in a very responsible manner with due focus on cultural sensitivities, carrying capacity and preservation of natural surroundings and culture.

Under PRASHAD Scheme, 24 projects have been sanctioned for Rs.727.16 Crore till date. Ministry has identified 28 sites in 21 States for  development, namely, Amaravati and Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Kamakhya (Assam), Patna and Gaya (Bihar), Bamleshwari Devi Temple (Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh), Dwarka and Somnath (Gujarat), Gurudwara  Nada  Saheb  (Panchkula,  Haryana),  Hazratbal  and  Katra (Jammu  &  Kashmir),  Deogarh  (Jharkhand),  Chamundeshwari  Devi (Mysuru, Karnataka), Guruvayoor (Kerala), Maa Chittpurni (Una, Himachal Pradesh), Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra),  Puri  (Odisha),  Amritsar  (Punjab),  Ajmer  (Rajasthan), Kanchipuram and Vellankani (Tamil Nadu), Tripura Sundari  (Tripura), Varanasi  and  Mathura  (Uttar  Pradesh),  Badrinath  and  Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) and Belur (West Bengal).

The projects sanctioned to the State of Rajasthan under Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD scheme are given below:

'Swadesh Darshan' Scheme

(Rs. in Crore)

| Name of the Circuit   | Name of the Project                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  | Amount Sanctioned   |
|-----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|
| 2015-16               |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |                     |
| Desert Circuit        | Development of Sambhar Lake Town and Other Destinations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              | 63.96               |
| 2016-17               |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |                     |
| Krishna Circuit       | Integrated Development of Govind Dev ji temple (Jaipur), Khatu Shyam Ji (Sikar) and Nathdwara (Rajsamand)                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | 91.45               |
| Spiritual Circuit     | Development of Spiritual Circuit- Churu (Salasar Balaji)- Jaipur (Shri Samode Balaji, Ghat ke Balaji, Bandhe ke Balaji)- Alwar (Pandupole Hanumanji, Bharathari)- Viratnagar (Bijak, Jainnasiya, Ambika Temple)- Bharatpur (Kaman Region)- Dholpur (Muchkund) - MehandipurBalaji- Chittorgarh (Sanwaliyaji)                          | 93.90               |
| 2017-18               |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |                     |
| Heritage Circuit      | Development of Heritage Circuit (Rajsamand (Kumbhalgarh Fort)- Jaipur (Nahargarh Fort)- Alwar (BalaQuila)- Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambore Fort and Khandar Fort)- Jhalawar (Gagron Fort)- Chittorgarh (Chittorgarh Fort) Jaisalmer (Jaisalmer Fort) Hanumangarh (Kalibangan, Bhatner Fort and Gogamedi) - Jalore (Jalore Fort)- Udaipur | 99.60               |

| (Pratap Gaurav Kendra)- Dholpur (Bagh-i- Nilofar and Purani Chawni)- Nagaur(Meera Bai Temple).   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

## 'PRASHAD' Scheme (Rs. in Crore)

| Name of the Project                      | Amount Sanctioned   |
|------------------------------------------|---------------------|
| 2015-16                                  |                     |
| Integrated Development of Pushkar /Ajmer | 40.44               |

********