Lok Sabha Question No. 4200 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-27
Subject: Promotion of Heritage Tourism
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4200 ANSWERED ON 27.03.2023

## PROMOTION OF HERITAGE TOURISM

## 4200. SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) the schemes and programmes of the Government to enhance/promote heritage tourism in our country;
- (b) the details of the achievements in terms of tourism activities during the last three years;
- (c) whether the Ministry and its departments have undertaken any capacity-building and training initiatives for the stakeholders associated with tourism; and
- (d)

## THE MINISTER OF TOURISM

(SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a): Ministry  of  Tourism  promotes  the  tourism  destinations  and  tourism products of the country including heritage tourism, in a holistic manner. The promotions are carried out under the schemes of 'Domestic Promotion and Publicity including Hospitality' (DPPH) and 'Overseas Promotion & Publicity' (OPP) in the domestic and important global markets. Information on tourist destinations in the country, are also promoted through the website www.incredibleindia.org,  Dekho  Apna  Desh  Webinars  and  the  social  media handles of the Ministry of Tourism.

The Ministry of Tourism is also promoting heritage tourism by providing financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations/Central  Agencies  under  the  'Swadesh  Darshan',  'National Mission  on  Pilgrimage  Rejuvenation  and  Spiritual,  Heritage  Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)' and 'Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development' Schemes for the dev elopment of tourism related infrastructure and facilities to provide an enriching tourism experience to the visitors.

- if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

(b): The  details  of  the  achievements  in  terms  of  tourism  activities  during the last three years is at Annexure-I. (c) and (d): Ministry  of  Tourism  has  put  in  place  the  Scheme  of  'Capacity Building  for  Service  Providers'  (CBSP)  to  provide education,  training  and certification  to  the  tourism  service  providers  at  every  level.  The  main objective of this initiative is to train and up-grade manpower at every strata of tourism service providers in order to capitalize the vast tourism potential of the country to the fullest, and provide professional expertise to the local populace as well as create fresh opportunities in the tourism sector both in urban as well as rural areas. The training programme implemented through the CBSP scheme aims to increase the employability of the tourism service providers  so  that  they  can  move  from  informal  to  formal  jobs  leading  to increased earnings and or improved working condition. The Details of the capacity Building and training programs undertaken is at Annexure-II.

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ANNEXURE-I

STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4200 ANSWERED ON 27.03.2023 REGARDING PROMOTION OF HERITAGE TOURISM

DETAILS  OF  THE  ACHIEVEMENT  DURING  THE  LAST  THREE  YEARS  IS  AS BELOW:

|   Sr. No. | Achievement                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Swadesh Darshan Scheme: Ministry of Tourism launched Swadesh Darshan Scheme in January 2015 for development of theme based tourist circuits. Ministry of Tourism has identified 15 themes for development of tourist circuits under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. A total of 76 projects have been sanctioned for a total amount of Rs.5315.59 Crore under the scheme. 59 projects have been completed. The Ministry of Tourism has revamped its Swadesh Darshan Scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible destinations following a tourist & destination centric approach. |
|         2 | PRASHAD Scheme: Ministry of Tourism launched National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme in January 2015 for integrated development of the selected pilgrimage destinations in the country. As on date a total number of 73 sites in 30 States/UTs have been identified for development under the scheme. A total of 45 projects for an amount of Rs.1586.10 Crore have been sanctioned under the scheme. 20 projects have been completed. Under the category of smaller/mini projects also 33 places have been identified in 10 States.                            |
|         3 | Assistance to Central Agencies: A total of 51 projects for an amount of Rs.737.89Crore have been sanctioned during the period 2014-15 to 2022-23 under the scheme. Projects such as Sound & Light Shows, Development of Cruise Terminals, Joint Development of Railway Stations, etc. have been sanctioned under this scheme. 18 projects have been completed from those sanctioned during the period 2014-15 to 2022-23.                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
|         4 | Incredible India 2.0: The Ministry of Tourism launched Incredible India 2.0 campaign during 2017-18. The 2.0 Campaign marked a shift from generic promotions across the world to market specific promotional plans and content creation. Thematic creatives on different Niche products including Yoga, Wellness, Wildlife, Cuisine, Luxury, Buddhist Sites, Golf, Medical Tourism, River Cruises, etc. were produced and showcased on Global Television Channels and online/social media                                                                                                                                       |

|    | across the world.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|----|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  5 | Dekho Apna Desh: The Ministry of Tourism launched the Dekho Apna Desh initiative in January 2020. Under this initiative Ministry has been organizing webinars, quiz, pledge, discussions to keep connected with the stake-holders and to encourage citizens to travel within the country. Dekho Apna Desh is promoted extensively on social media accounts and website of the Ministry and by Domestic India Tourism offices. More than 175 webinars have been conducted so far. |
|  6 | Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in 2021 designated Tourism Officers in 20 Indian Missions in the following countries - Sri Lanka, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Myanmar, Spain, Thailand, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, UK & USA.                                                                                                                                                                         |
|  7 | Ministry of Tourism and its field offices carried out various promotional activities pertaining to Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM), Ek Bharat Sresth Bharat (EBSB) and Har Ghar Tiranga (HGT). Cultural events, workshops, essay writing competitions, heritage walks, etc. were organized as part of the above initiatives.                                                                                                                                                      |
|  8 | Ministry of Tourism has initiated establishing 'YUVA Tourism Clubs' as a part of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrati ons to nurture and develop young ambassadors who would be catalysts for promoting tourism in India. Participation in Tourism Clubs is also expected to facilitate development of soft skills like teamwork, management, leadership besides encouraging adoption of responsible tourism practices and concern for sustainable tourism.                   |
|  9 | Ministry of Tourism launched the Utsav Portal, a digital initiative to showcase all the events, festivals and live darshans across India to promote different regions of the country as popular tourist destinations worldwide.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| 10 | Ministry of Tourism has declared 2023 as ' Incredible India! Visit India Year ' for boosting visitor arrival.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| 11 | Opening of the Himalayan Peaks: More than 120 new mountain peaks have been opened for Mountaineering/Trekking to give boost to adventure tourism in the country.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| 12 | Lowering of GST on hotels rooms: The GST Council has cut tax on hotel rooms with tariffs of ₹ 1,001 to ₹ 7,500/night to 12%; those above ₹ 7,501 to 18% to increase India's competitiveness as a tourism destination vis-à-vis other competing markets in the region.                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| 13 | RCS UDAN-3: Under RCS UDAN-3 Tourism, Ministry of Tourism approached Ministry of Civil Aviation, with the purpose of further improving connectivity and got 59 tourism routes included for better connectivity of important tourist places including Iconic sites. Currently 51 tourism routes have been operationalized.                                                                                                                                                        |

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|   14 | NIDHI: Ministry of Tourism launched the National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry (NIDHI), a technology driven system, aligned with the vision of an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', to facilitate digitalization and promote ease of doing business for hospitality & tourism sector. It provides a clear picture on the geographical spread of the Hospitality & Tourism Sector, its size, structure and existing capacity so as to offer relevant services to the Industry like Showcasing, Star Classification etc. This Initiative has been upgraded as NIDHI+ to have more inclusivity, that is, of not only Accommodation Units, but also Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Tourist Transport Operators, Food & Beverage Units, Online Travel Aggregators, Convention Centres and Tourist Facilitators.   |
|------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   15 | SAATHI: The Ministry of Tourism in association with the Quality Council of India launched the System for Awareness, Assessment and Training for Hospitality Industry (SAATHI) scheme to assist the hospitality industry in their preparedness in ensuring safety and health of guests and employees. As India opens up for tourism, hotel owners can easily get themselves trained and certified through SAATHI website following three easy steps- Self Certification, Participation Certificate and site assessment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |

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ANNEXURE-II

STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (c) AND (d) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4200 ANSWERED ON 27.03.2023 REGARDING PROMOTION OF HERITAGE TOURISM

THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMMES ARE CONDUCTED UNDER THE 'CAPACITY BUILDING FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS' (CBSP) SCHEME: -

|   Sr. No. | Name of the Programme                  | Details of the programme                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|-----------|----------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Hunar Se Rozgar Tak                    | The programme presently offers a total of eleven short duration courses of 160 hours to 700 hours. Out of these eleven courses eight viz. Multi Cuisine Cook, Food & Beverage Service, Room Attendant, Front Office, Laundry Machine Operator, Kitchen Steward, Home Delivery Boy and Traditional Snack & Savoury Maker are hospitality related and the other three courses viz Unarmed Security Guards, Heritage Guide and Tour Guide are non- hospitality courses and are fully funded by the Ministry of Tourism. A total of 6496 persons have been trained / certified upto 28 th February, 2022 of the financial year 2022-23. |
|         2 | Skill Testing & Certification          | Skill Testing & Certification of the existing service providers to test and certify existing service providers in four hospitality trades namely food production, food and beverage service, bakery and housekeeping. A total of 4617 persons have been trained/certified upto 28 th February, 2022 of the financial year 2022-23.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|         3 | Entrepreneur ship Programme            | Five 150 hours' courses are off ered in the trades of (i) Cook - Tandoor, (ii) Barman, (iii) Baker, (iv) Homestay (Multi-Skilled Caretaker) and (v) Halwai - Indian Sweets under this Programme. A total of 1111 persons have been trained/certified upto 28 th February, 2022 of the financial year 2022-23                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|         4 | Linguistic Tourist Facilitators (LTF): | The Ministry has introduced 6-week language courses i.e. English, Dutch, German, French, Japanese, Chinese etc. to train Tourist Facilitators and other service providers under its suo-motu initiative under the scheme of 'Capacity Building for Service Providers'. The basic objective of this programme is to create trained manpower in different foreign languages to facilitate tourists visiting India from different countries and to                                                                                                                                                                                     |

|    |                                     | upgrade the skill of the existing service providers in order to deal effectively with foreign tourists in their own languages. The target group is +2 or equivalent in any discipline and the minimum age 20 years. IITTM had trained/certified 270 persons during the FY 2021-22. A total of 240 trainees have been certified under this initiative upto 28 th February, 2022 of the financial year 2022-23.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|----|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  5 | Destination Based Skill Development | The Ministry of Tourism has initiated the Destination Based Skill Development training programme at 7 Iconic Sites i.e. Taj Mahal at Agra, Humayun Tomb, Red Fort, Qutub Minar at Delhi, Mahabodhi Temple at Bihar, Colva Beach at Goa and Kaziranga at Assam in the financial year, 2019-20. Under this initiative the training programme, a total of 3715 trainees have been trained/certified at 44 destinations in the financial Year 2020-21. The training programme for a total of 4015 trainees had been trained/ certified at 51 destinations during the financial year 2021-22. The training programme for a total 2676 trainees have been done upto 28 th February, 2022 of the financial year 2022-23. |

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