Lok Sabha Question No. 2556 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-14
Subject: Air Services at Tourist Sites
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: P.P. CHAUDHARY, CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†2556 ANSWERED ON 14.03.2016

## AIR SERVICES AT TOURIST SITES

†2556. SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY: SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the Government  proposes  to provide better air services  at  tourist  sites  in  order  to  increase  domestic  and foreign tourists in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard;
- (c) the  funds  allocated by  the  Government  in  this  regard  during the last three years; and
- (d) the  number  of  domestic  and  foreign  tourists  who  visited various tourist spots in the country during the last three years, year-wise and State-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a) to (c): Domestic air transport services have been decontrolled & deregulated. Government has laid down route dispersal guidelines with  a  view  to  achieve  better  connectivity  to  remote  areas  and different regions of the country. It is, however, up to the airlines to provide  air  services  to  specific  places  depending  upon  the  traffic demand and commercial viability.  As such the airlines are free to operate  anywhere  in  the  country  subject  to  compliance  of  route dispersal guidelines issued by the Government.

The  Government  has  taken  several  measures  to  help  the industry  so  that  benefits  percolate  down  to  common  man.  These steps  are  persuading  State  Governments  to  reduce  VAT  on  ATF, allowing direct import of Aviation Turbine Fuel by Indian Carriers as actual  users,  permitting  foreign  airlines  to  participate  upto  49 percent  in the  equity  of  scheduled  air  transport  undertaking, allowing External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) for working capital requirement of airline industry for a period of one year subject to a total ceiling of US $1 billion and tax concession for parts of aircraft and  testing  equipment  for  third  party  maintenance,  repair  and overhaul of civil aircraft.

(d): The  Ministry  of  Tourism  compiles  data  only  on  number  of domestic  and  foreign  tourist  who  visited  various  States  and  UTs. The  details  of  the  same  for  the  period  2012-14  are  at  Annexure. This information for 2015 is not available.

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ANNEXURE

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PART (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†2556 ANSWERED ON 14.03.2016 REGARDING AIR SERVICES AT TOURISTS SITES.

## STATE/UT-WISE DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN TOURIST VISITS, 2012-2014

| Sl. No.   | State/UT                  | 2012      | 2012    | 2013     | 2013    | 2014      | 2014    |
|-----------|---------------------------|-----------|---------|----------|---------|-----------|---------|
| Sl. No.   | State/UT                  | Domestic  | Foreign | Domestic | Foreign | Domestic  | Foreign |
| 1         | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 238699    | 17538   | 243703   | 14742   | 285146    | 17235   |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh            | 207217952 | 292822  | 98017783 | 69552   | 93306974  | 66333   |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh         | 132243    | 5135    | 125461   | 10846   | 180964    | 5204    |
| 4         | Assam                     | 4511407   | 17543   | 4684527  | 17638   | 4826702   | 21537   |
| 5         | Bihar                     | 21447099  | 1096933 | 21588306 | 765835  | 22544377  | 829508  |
| 6         | Chandigarh                | 924589    | 34130   | 936922   | 40124   | 1061419   | 28365   |
| 7         | Chhattisgarh              | 15036530  | 4172    | 22801031 | 3886    | 24488465  | 7777    |
| 8         | Dadra & Nagar Haveli      | 469213    | 1234    | 481618   | 1582    | 579638    | 1799    |
| 9         | Daman & Diu               | 803963    | 4607    | 819947   | 4814    | 795167    | 4620    |
| 10        | Delhi *                   | 18495139  | 2345980 | 20215187 | 2301395 | 22626859  | 2319046 |
| 11        | Goa                       | 2337499   | 450530  | 2629151  | 492322  | 3544634   | 513592  |
| 12        | Gujarat                   | 24379023  | 174150  | 27412517 | 198773  | 30912043  | 235524  |
| 13        | Haryana                   | 6799242   | 233002  | 7128027  | 228200  | 13442944  | 547367  |
| 14        | Himachal Pradesh          | 15646048  | 500284  | 14715586 | 414249  | 15924701  | 389699  |
| 15        | Jammu & Kashmir           | 12427122  | 78802   | 10891424 | 60845   | 9438544   | 86477   |
| 16        | Jharkhand                 | 20421016  | 31909   | 20511160 | 45995   | 33427144  | 154731  |
| 17        | Karnataka                 | 94052729  | 595359  | 98010140 | 636378  | 118283220 | 561870  |
| 18        | Kerala                    | 10076854  | 793696  | 10857811 | 858143  | 11695411  | 923366  |
| 19        | Lakshadweep               | 4417      | 580     | 4784     | 371     | 7315      | 514     |
| 20        | Madhya Pradesh            | 53197209  | 275930  | 63110709 | 280333  | 63614525  | 316195  |
| 21        | Maharashtra*#             | 74816051  | 2651889 | 82700556 | 4156343 | 94127124  | 4389098 |
| 22        | Manipur                   | 134541    | 749     | 140673   | 1908    | 115499    | 2769    |
| 23        | Meghalaya                 | 680254    | 5313    | 691269   | 6773    | 716469    | 8664    |
| 24        | Mizoram                   | 64249     | 744     | 63377    | 800     | 68203     | 836     |
| 25        | Nagaland                  | 35915     | 2489    | 35638    | 3304    | 58413     | 3679    |
| 26        | Odisha                    | 9052871   | 64719   | 9800135  | 66675   | 10790622  | 71426   |

| 27   | Puducherry    | 981714     | 52931    |    1000277 |    42624 |            1188093 | 83291   |
|------|---------------|------------|----------|------------|----------|--------------------|---------|
| 28   | Punjab        | 19056143   | 143805   |   21340888 |   204074 |           24271302 | 255449  |
| 29   | Rajasthan     | 28611831   | 1451370  |   30298150 |  1437162 |           33076491 | 1525574 |
| 30   | Sikkim        | 558538     | 26489    |     576749 |    31698 |             562418 | 49175   |
| 31   | Tamil Nadu    | 184136840  | 3561740  |  244232487 |  3990490 |          327555233 | 4657630 |
| 32   | Tripura       | 361786     | 7840     |     359586 |    11853 |             361247 | 26688   |
| 33   | Telengana     | -          | -        |   54084367 |   153966 |           72399113 | 75171   |
| 34   | Uttar Pradesh | 168381276  | 1994495  |  226531091 |  2054420 |   1828201082909735 |         |
| 35   | Uttarakhand   | 26827329   | 124555   |   19941128 |    97683 |           21991315 | 101966  |
| 36   | West Bengal   | 22730205   | 1219610  |   25547300 |  1245230 |           49029590 | 1375740 |
|      | Total         | 1045047536 | 18263074 | 1142529465 | 19951026 | 129011743222567650 |         |

* DTVs: Estimated using all India Growth rate  and FTVs: FTA data of Delhi Port. *#  DTVs:  Estimates  using  partial  data  provided  by  the  State  Govts.  and FTVs: Estimated using growth of FTAs at all Ports (combined) in Maharashtra.

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