Lok Sabha Question No. 2673 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-14
Subject: Crime Against Women Tourists
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: DEVAJIBHAI GOVINDBHAI FATEPARA, KALIKESH NARAYAN SINGH DEO, JITENDRA CHAUDHURY, BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB, A.T. (NANA) PATIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2673 ANSWERED ON 14.03.2016

## CRIME AGAINST WOMEN TOURISTS

## 2673. SHRI DEVAJIBHAI G. FATEPARA:

SHRI KALIKESH N. SINGH DEO:

SHRI JITENDRA CHAUDHURY:

SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

SHRI A.T. NANA PATIL:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  there  has  been  an  increase  in  the  crime  against domestic and foreign tourists especially women tourists, in the country;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  number  of  cases  filed  during the last three years, State/UT-wise;
- (c) the  remedial  measures  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  by  the Government  to ensure the safety and security of tourists especially women tourists in the country;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  made  any  assessment  of  the impact of such incidents against women on international tourist arrival to the country; and
- (e) if so, the names of the countries from where the foreign women tourists visited India during the last three years, country-wise? ANSWER

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

(a) and  (b): The  Ministry  of  Tourism  does  not  compile  the  data regarding  crime  against  foreign or  domestic  tourists.    However,  the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Ministry of Home Affairs has started collecting data on crime against foreign tourists since 2014. Hence  data  on  crime  against  foreign  tourist  prior  to  2014  is  not available  with  NCRB.  The  total  number  of  cases  registered  under crime  against  foreign  tourists  were  384  during  2014.  The  Statewise/UT-wise  number  of  reported  incidents  against  foreign  tourist during 2014 is at annexure-I. This information is not available for 2015.

- (c): The steps taken by Ministry of Tourism to ensure the safety and security of tourists including foreign tourists are as below:
- i) The  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  launched  the  24X7 Toll  Free Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline in 12 International Languages including  Hindi  &  English  on  8.2.2016.  This  service  is available on the   toll free number 1800111363 or on a short code 1363 and operational 24X7 (all days) in a year offering a  'multi-lingual  helpdesk'  in  the  designated  languages  to provide  support  service  in  terms  of  providing  information relating to Travel & Tourism in India to the domestic and International tourists and to assist the callers with advice on  action  to be  taken  during  times  of  distress while travelling  in  India  and  if  need  be  alert  the  concerned authorities. The languages handled by the Tourist Helpline include  ten  International  languages  besides  English  and Hindi,  namely,  Arabic,  French,  German,  Italian,  Japanese, Korean,  Chinese,  Portuguese,  Russian  and  Spanish.  The calls  made  by  tourists  (both  international  and  domestic) while in India will be free of charge.
- Adoption of code of conduct for Safe and Hon'ble Tourism, which  contains  a  set  of  guidelines  to  encourage  tourism activities to be undertaken with respect to basic rights like dignity,  safety  and  freedom  from  exploitation  of  both tourists  and  local  residents,  in  particular  women  and
- ii) children.
- iii) All  the  Chief  Ministers  of  the  State  Governments  and Administrators  of  Union  Territory  Administrations  have been asked to take immediate effective steps for ensuring a  conducive and  friendly environment  for  all  tourists  and also requested to publicize the steps being taken/proposed to be taken to increase the sense of security amongst the present/prospective visitors and also to counter the negative publicity, if any.
- iv) The National Tourism Ministers' Conference was convened on 18 th  July, 2013 and 21st August 2014 in New Delhi which resolved that the Departments of Tourism of all States and UTs  will  work  for  ensuring  the  safety  and  security  of tourists,  especially  women.  The  State  Governments/UT Administrations of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have deployed Tourist Police, in one form or the other.
- v) Grant of Central Financial Assistance to the State Governments  of Rajasthan, Uttar  Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh for setting up of Tourist Facilitation and Security Organization (TFSO) on a pilot basis.
- vi) In  the  wake  of  some  unfortunate  incidents  happening involving  foreign  tourists,  Ministry  of  Tourism  posts  an advisory on its website www.incredibleindia.org.
- vii) The  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  issued  the  Guidelines  on Safety and Security of Tourists for State Governments/Union  Territories  and  Tips  for  Travellers  in September 2014.  These guidelines were sent to the State Governments/Union Territories and other relevant authorities  to  stress  the  importance  of  safety  and  risk management,  assist in identifying best practices and encourage  closer cooperation for ensuring a  pleasant experience  to  the  tourists.    The  Guidelines  are  indicative references that may be useful to the States in sharing or adopting  the  best  practices  and  design  their  domestic measures  to  better  protect  tourists.    In  addition  to  these guidelines 'Tips to Travellers' are also offered to make the visit of tourists to Incredible India, a memorable experience.
- (d):  The foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India has shown continuous increase  in  last  5  years.    The  number  of  FTAs  in  India  during  the period 2011-2015 are as below:
- (e): Nationality-wise number of foreign women tourist arrivals during 2012-2014 is given in Annexure-II.  This information is not available for 2015.

|   Year |    FTAs |
|--------|---------|
|   2011 | 6309222 |
|   2012 | 6577745 |
|   2013 | 6967601 |
|   2014 | 7679099 |
|   2015 | 8027133 |

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ANNEXURE-I

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  AND  (b)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2673 ANSWERED ON 14.03.2016 REGARDING CRIME AGAINST WOMEN TOURISTS.

## State-wise/UT-wise  number  of  reported  incidents  against  foreign tourist during 2014.

| Sl. No.   | State/UT          |   Total Crimes Committed against Foreign Tourists |
|-----------|-------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh    |                                                 2 |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh |                                                 0 |
| 3         | Assam             |                                                 0 |
| 4         | Bihar             |                                                13 |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh      |                                                 0 |
| 6         | Goa               |                                                66 |
| 7         | Gujarat           |                                                 3 |
| 8         | Haryana           |                                                 6 |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh  |                                                 2 |
| 10        | Jammu & Kashmir   |                                                 1 |
| 11        | Jharkhand         |                                                 0 |
| 12        | Karnataka         |                                                11 |
| 13        | Kerala            |                                                 7 |
| 14        | Madhya Pradesh    |                                                 2 |
| 15        | Maharashtra       |                                                25 |
| 16        | Manipur           |                                                 0 |
| 17        | Meghalaya         |                                                 0 |
| 18        | Mizoram           |                                                 1 |
| 19        | Nagaland          |                                                 0 |
| 20        | Odisha            |                                                 0 |
| 21        | Punjab            |                                                 3 |
| 22        | Rajasthan         |                                                31 |
| 23        | Sikkim            |                                                 0 |
| 24        | Tamil Nadu        |                                                 2 |
| 25        | Telangana         |                                                 2 |
| 26        | Tripura           |                                                 0 |
| 27        | Uttar Pradesh     |                                                64 |
| 28        | Uttarakhand       |                                                 0 |
| 29        | West Bengal       |                                                 4 |
|           | TOTAL STATE(S)    |                                               245 |
| 30        | A& N Islands      |                                                 0 |
| 31        | Chandigarh        |                                                 2 |
| 32        | D&N Haveli        |                                                 0 |
| 33        | Daman & Diu       |                                                 0 |
| 34        | DelhiUT           |                                               135 |
| 35        | Lakshadweep       |                                                 0 |
| 36        | Puducherry        |                                                 2 |
|           | TOTAL UT(S)       |                                               139 |
|           | TOTAL (ALL INDIA) |                                               384 |

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## ANNEXURE- II

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.2673  ANSWERED  ON  14.03.2016  REGARDING  CRIME AGAINST WOMEN TOURISTS.

Nationality-wise number of foreign women tourist arrivals during 20122014.

| Country of Nationality    | 2012   | 2013   | 2014   |
|---------------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| North America             |        |        |        |
| Canada                    | 115209 | 117147 | 124309 |
| U.S.A                     | 448217 | 475365 | 493472 |
| Central and South America |        |        |        |
| Argentina                 | 4866   | 5390   | 5235   |
| Brazil                    | 7302   | 8849   | 9058   |
| Mexico                    | 4355   | 6367   | 6877   |
| Others                    | 10612  | 12554  | 12741  |
| Western Europe            |        |        |        |
| Austria                   | 16206  | 15826  | 14706  |
| Belgium                   | 15508  | 15084  | 14902  |
| Denmark                   | 12770  | 13601  | 11486  |
| Finland                   | 8787   | 9821   | 8444   |
| France                    | 100842 | 113261 | 112960 |
| Germany                   | 87645  | 100801 | 94925  |
| Greece                    | 2053   | 2738   | 2864   |
| Ireland                   | 10408  | 11984  | 13185  |
| Italy                     | 32289  | 34292  | 33613  |
| Netherlands               | 24908  | 27054  | 26150  |
| Norway                    | 9145   | 9958   | 8821   |
| Portugal                  | 8536   | 10246  | 12365  |
| Spain                     | 27890  | 27625  | 30507  |
| Sweden                    | 20832  | 21825  | 20272  |
| Switzerland               | 21097  | 22653  | 20827  |
| U.K.                      | 334972 | 352108 | 369098 |
| Others                    | 5336   | 4648   | 4516   |
| Eastern Europe            |        |        |        |
| Czech Rep.                | 3817   | 3714   | 3576   |
| Kazakhstan                | 7668   | 8984   | 10092  |
| Poland                    | 12039  | 11750  | 12174  |
| Russian Fed.              | 91958  | 148735 | 154344 |
| Ukraine                   | 10829  | 15722  | 14670  |
| Others                    | 27000  | 33562  | 36886  |
| Africa                    |        |        |        |
| Egypt                     | 1438   | 4564   | 4931   |
| Kenya                     | 13955  | 17125  | 20356  |
| Mauritius                 | 13682  | 15107  | 15286  |

| Nigeria                  | 14080   | 13015   | 11184   |
|--------------------------|---------|---------|---------|
| South Africa             | 24127   | 27329   | 26661   |
| Sudan                    | 1328    | 1431    | 2117    |
| Tanzania                 | 10253   | 10902   | 12222   |
| Others                   | 30826   | 29558   | 31112   |
| West Asia                |         |         |         |
| Bahrain                  | 3687    | 3728    | 4532    |
| Iraq                     | 8969    | 11170   | 14061   |
| Israel                   | 15629   | 18081   | 18492   |
| Oman                     | 18162   | 22099   | 32395   |
| Saudi Arabia             | 7453    | 8235    | 11208   |
| Turkey                   | 5815    | 10860   | 10762   |
| U.A.E.                   | 21999   | 26169   | 30141   |
| Yemen Arab Rep.          | 5578    | 7356    | 10159   |
| Others                   | 8815    | 11354   | 12241   |
| South Asia               |         |         |         |
| Afghanistan              | 18570   | 30293   | 30164   |
| Iran                     | 18930   | 14103   | 14581   |
| Maldives                 | 23903   | 21413   | 31160   |
| Nepal                    | 35105   | 35161   | 40327   |
| Pakistan                 | 25614   | 32197   | 42431   |
| Bangladesh               | 152068  | 149078  | 254492  |
| Sri Lanka                | 119090  | 100478  | 129387  |
| Bhutan                   | 5542    | 5631    | 6416    |
| South East Asia          |         |         |         |
| Indonesia                | 11144   | 12993   | 13208   |
| Malaysia                 | 89309   | 110891  | 122628  |
| Myanmar                  | 14040   | 17912   | 29883   |
| Philippines              | 12629   | 19719   | 20236   |
| Singapore                | 53238   | 57067   | 61197   |
| Thailand                 | 54463   | 63488   | 67841   |
| Vietnam                  | 5859    | 5873    | 7808    |
| Others                   | 1466    | 1776    | 3247    |
| East Asia                |         |         |         |
| China(Main)              | 43928   | 60625   | 66253   |
| China(Taiwan)            | 12308   | 17816   | 17821   |
| Japan                    | 44003   | 64983   | 63221   |
| Rep.of Korea             | 31199   | 40430   | 37832   |
| Others                   | 2735    | 2104    | 1789    |
| Australasia              |         |         |         |
| Australia                | 82661   | 91966   | 100940  |
| NewZealand               | 16929   | 17952   | 18946   |
| Others                   | 1556    | 1591    | 1647    |
| Not classified elsewhere | 2369    | 10430   | 10672   |

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