Lok Sabha Question No. 35 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-11-25
Subject: Promotion of Tourism Sector in Amrit Kaal
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Shri Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne, Smt. Bharti Pardhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.35 ANSWERED ON 25.11.2024

## PROMOTION OF TOURISM SECTOR IN AMRIT KAAL

- 35 SHRI SHRIRANG APPA CHANDU BARNE: SMT. BHARTI PARDHI:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to boost the tourism sector in the country during Amrit Kaal;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number of the foreign tourists visiting India at present;
- (d) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  an  increase  in foreign tourists visiting India;
- (e) whether there is a need to improve railway network and other infrastructures to strengthen the tourism sector in the country; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to improve the railway network and other infrastructures to attract the foreign tourists?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (f): In  order  to  boost  tourism  sector  in  the  country  during Amrit Kaal, the Ministry of Tourism  has  taken the following initiatives: -

- The Ministry of Tourism undertakes several promotional activities  in  potential  international  &  domestic  markets  to promote  various  tourism  destinations  and  products  of  the country  in  holistic  manner.  This  includes  release  of  media campaigns,  social  media  promotions,  webinars,  participation & support to promotional events, dissemination of information
- and  engagement  through  website  etc.  In  addition,  Indian Missions overseas also undertake various promotional activities  to  attract  more  global  travellers  to  various  tourist destinations of the country.
- Ministry of Tourism launched the Incredible India Content Hub on  the  revamped  Incredible  India  digital  portal  which  is  a comprehensive digital repository,  featuring  a  rich  collection of  high-quality  images,  films,  brochures  and  newsletters related to tourism in India. This repository is intended for the use of a diverse range of stakeholders, including tour operators,  journalists,  students,  researchers,  film  makers, authors,  influencers,  content  creators,  government  officials and ambassadors.
- The  Ministry  of  Tourism  under  the  schemes  of  'Swadesh Darshan',  National  Mission  on  Pilgrimage  Rejuvenation  and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)' and 'Assistance  to  Central  Agencies  for  Tourism  Infrastructure Development' provides financial assistance to State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations/ Central Agencies for the development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities at various tourism destinations in the country.
- Ministry has revamped Swadesh Darshan Scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) with the objective to develop sustainable and  responsible  destinations  following  a  destination  centric approach.
- Ministry of Tourism has been providing financial assistance to State Governments/ UT Administrations for organising fairs/festivals and tourism related events.
- Ministry is conducting Programmes  under the 'Capacity Building  for  Service  Providers'  (CBSP)  Scheme  to  train  and upgrade manpower to provide better service standards.
- •
- To  enhance  the  overall  experience  of  tourists  by  making available a pool of local, trained professionals at tourist sites across  the  country,  Ministry  launched  the  Incredible  India

Tourist Facilitator (IITF) Certification Programme -a Pan-India online learning program.

Indian  Railways  have  taken  various  steps  to  improve  the  railway network and other infrastructures, which are outlined below:

- i) Railway  Infrastructure  Projects  are  taken  up  on  the  basis  of remunerativeness,  last  mile  connectivity,  missing  links  and alternate  routes,  augmentation  of  congested/saturated  lines, socio-economic considerations, enhancing connectivity to tourist  and  cultural  places  etc.  depending  upon  liabilities  of ongoing  projects,  overall  availability  of  funds  and  competing demands. As on 01.04.2024, out of 488 Railway Infrastructure projects (187 New  Line, 40 Gauge  Conversion and 261 Doubling) of total length 44,488 Km costing approx. Rs. 7.44 lakh crore, 12,045 Km length has been commissioned across Indian  Railways  with  an  expenditure  of  Rs.  2.92  lakh  crore. Augmenting railway infrastructures across Indian Railways is an ongoing and continuous process.
2. ii) The  Ministry  of  Railways  has  recently  launched  the  Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for development of Railway stations on Indian Railways. The Scheme  envisages development of stations  on  a  continuous  basis  with  a  long-term  approach.  It involves preparation of Master Plans and their implementation in phases to improve amenities at stations, like improvement of  station  access,  circulating  areas,  waiting  halls,  toilets, lift/escalators as necessary, platform surfacing and cover over platform,  cleanliness,  free  Wi-Fi,  kiosks  for  local  products through schemes  like 'One Station One Product', better passenger information systems, Executive Lounges, nominated  spaces  for  business  meetings,  landscaping  etc. keeping  in  view  the  necessity  at  each  station.  So  far,  1337 stations  have  been  identified  under  the  Amrit  Bharat  Station Scheme over Indian Railways.
3. iii) Under the National Rail Plan (NRP), around 243 tourist destinations in India were identified. Out of these, 111 places are  already  connected  with  the  existing  rail  network,  30 tourist places are within a distance of 10 kms from the nearest railway  station  and  30  are  within  a  distance  of  15  kms  from

the  nearest  railway  station.  The  remaining  72  locations  are primarily  wildlife  sanctuaries,  beaches  and  areas  located  in hilly and mountainous terrain where providing rail connectivity is either not advisable or difficult. Further, with a view to provide enhanced amenities and facilities for tourists,  projects  for  joint  development  of  tourist  amenities  at  22 railway  stations by  the  Ministry  of  Railways  (MoR)  and  Ministry  of Tourism were sanctioned on cost sharing basis. Details of month-wise Foreign Tourist arrivals (FTAs) in the country during 2023 and 2024 (till August) are given below:

|                 |   Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) (in Lakhs) | Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) (in Lakhs)   |
|-----------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| Month           |                                      2023    | 2024 @                                       |
| January         |                                         8.91 | 9.59                                         |
| February        |                                         8.93 | 10.03                                        |
| March           |                                         8.25 | 8.60                                         |
| April           |                                         6.26 | 6.51                                         |
| May             |                                         6.18 | 6.00                                         |
| June            |                                         6.68 | 7.06                                         |
| July            |                                         7.86 | 7.76                                         |
| August          |                                         6.64 | 6.36                                         |
| September       |                                         6.67 | -                                            |
| October         |                                         8.32 | -                                            |
| November        |                                         9.49 | -                                            |
| December        |                                        11.02 | -                                            |
| Total (Jan-Aug) |                                        59.71 | 61.91                                        |
| Grand Total     |                                        95.21 | -                                            |

@: Provisional

Source: Bureau of Immigration (BOI)

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