Lok Sabha Question No. 1500 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-09
Subject: Measures to Curb the Fraudulent Practices in Tourism Sector
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Thiru Dr. S Jagathratchakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1500

## ANSWERED ON 09.02.2026

## MEASURES TO CURB THE FRAUDULENT PRACTICES IN

## TOURISM SECTOR

## 1500. THIRU S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  assessment  made  by  the  Government  for  the increasing number  of  unlicensed or fraudulent travel  agencies operating  in  major  tourist  destinations  across  the  country  and  the extent to which such agencies are involved in overcharging, misleading packages or exploiting tourists;
- (b) the  details  of  the  number  of  complaints  received  regarding  illegal travel  operators  during  the  last  five  years,  State/UT  and  year-wise, along with the action taken by the authorities;
- (c) whether the Government has issued any guidelines or  directives to States/UTs;
- (d) whether  coordination  mechanisms  have  been  established  between tourism departments, police authorities and consumer commissions to crack down on illegal operators and safeguard domestic and foreign tourists, and if so, the outcomes of such coordination; and
- (e) the  details  of  the  steps  proposed  by  the  Government  to  promote verified, registered and digital-KYC-based travel  service providers to curb fraudulent practices in the tourism sector?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM            (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (e): Complaints regarding deficiency in services or other issues like overcharging,  misleading  packages  or  exploiting  tourists  relating  to service providers are received in the Ministry either from the complainants or  through  the  Centralised  Public  Grievance  Redress  and  Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal. On receipt of such complaints, the matter is taken  up  with  the  concerned  service  providers  seeking  clarification  to facilitate  resolution  of  the  issues.  In  case  instances  of  exploitation  of tourists are brought to the notice of the Ministry of Tourism, the grievance is  taken  up  with  the  concerned  State  Government/Union  Territory  (UT) Administration since service providers are required to be registered/licensed under local rules/acts of the concerned State/UT. The complainant is also advised to approach the appropriate forum, such as consumer court, for redressal on case-to-case basis.

To ensure standardized services for tourists, the Ministry of Tourism Government  of  India  gives  approval  to  different  categories  of  service providers  in  the  Travel  and  Hospitality  industry  including  Online  Travel Aggregators/Tour  Operators/Travel  Agents/Tourist  Transport  Operators /different categories of Hotels/Motels/Convention Centres, etc. in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry for each category. This is purely a voluntary scheme and it is not mandatory for the service providers to seek approval of the Ministry for conducting business. In case of complaints of serious nature against the approved service providers, the Ministry  of  Tourism  may  take  action  against  them,  which  may  include withdrawal of the approval/re-approval granted.

Safety and Security of tourists is essentially a State subject. However, the Ministry of Tourism has been continuously taking up the matter with all the State Governments and Union Territory (UT) Administrations for setting up of dedicated Tourism Police to strengthen on-ground safety mechanism for tourists. With the efforts of Ministry of Tourism, the State Governments /UT's  viz  Telangana,  Andhra  Pradesh,  Delhi,  Goa,  Karnataka,  Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh have deployed tourist police.

Under  the  recognition  under  Ministry  of  Tourism  through  National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry (NIDHI + ) framework, tourism stakeholders  are  registered  through  a  multi-layered  digital  verification process, which includes the following steps:

1. Mandatory submission and digital verification of Permanent Account Number (PAN) details to establish the legal identity of the service provider.
2. Mandatory  verification  of  registered  mobile  number  and  email  ID through OTP-based authentication to ensure authenticity and secure communication.
3. 3.
4. Aadhaar-based verification facility (optional).
4. Digital  verification  of  valid  Food  Safety  and  Standards  Authority of  India  (FSSAI)  licence  details  for  applicable  food  service-related tourism establishments to ensure regulatory compliance.

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