Lok Sabha Question No. 503 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Tourism Education and Chalo India Campaign
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Shri Sudheer Gupta, Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.

## †*503 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## TOURISM EDUCATION AND CHALO INDIA CAMPAIGN

- †*503. SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA: SHRI CHAVAN RAVINDRA VASANTRAO:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether the Government has successfully launched a pilot project to train 10,000 tour guides in collaboration with Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and also plans to train the youth of Bharatpur Lok Sabha Constituency under this project and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the manner in which the 'Chalo India' Global Diaspora Campaign' has successfully converted one lakh free e-visas into actual tourist arrivals by 2026 and whether this campaign has led to increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur;
- (c)   the details of specific changes being made in the curriculum of the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology to convert it into a National Institute;
- (d)   the manner in which the 'Dekho Apna Desh, People's Choice 2024 winners' ceremony organised in February, 2026 has encouraged the students towards tourism education; and
- (e)   whether the Government has taken any special initiative to increase the participation of students from Bharatpur, Nathdwara, Kumbhalghar,  Mewar  and  Marwar  regions  of  Rajasthan  towards tourism education and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM        (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

- (a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. † *503 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 REGARDING TOURISM EDUCATION AND CHALO INDIA CAMPAIGN RAISED BY SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA AND SHRI CHAVAN RAVINDRA VASANTRAO

(a): The  Union  Budget  2026  announced  pilot  scheme  for  Upskilling 10000 guides in 20 iconic tourist sites across India, through 12 weeks structured  academic  and  field  training  program  aligned  with  National Skills  Qualifications  Framework  (NSQF)  &  National  Credit  Framework (NCrF) in terms of quality, outcome and certification. This upskilling of tourist  guides  is  to  develop  professionally  trained,  knowledgeable, responsible Guides in the country including youths from the Bharatpur Lok Sabha Constituency.

This programme is in collaboration with different stakeholders like Indian  Institute  of  Tourism &  Travel  Management,  Indian  Institute  of Management, Archeological Survey of India, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and other stakeholders. The training is conducted in financial year 2026-27.

(b): The Chalo India initiative was launched by the Ministry of Tourism for members  of  the Indian Diaspora to become  Incredible India Ambassadors by encouraging their non-Indian friends to visit India, every year. The objective of this initiative is to increase India's share in the global tourism market, to promote the tourist destinations and tourism products  of  the  country,  including  tourism  promotions/products  in Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur. The Ministry of Tourism undertakes tourism promotional activities in potential source markets overseas, in association with the Indian Missions overseas, Travel Trade industry  and  the  State  Governments/UT  Administrations,  to  enhance tourist footfalls to the country.

(c): The Union Budget 2026 announced to set up a National Institute of Hospitality  (NIH)  by  upgrading  the  existing  National  Council  for  Hotel Management  and  Catering  Technology  (NCHMCT)  to  align  academia, industry  and  Government  as  per  the  current  demand  of  Hospitality industry.  The  updation  of  the  curriculum  of  NCHMCT  is  an  evolving process  to  keep  the  courses  &  curriculum  relevant  with  the  everevolving global trends and hospitality industry.

(d): The  Ministry  of  To urism  launched  'Dekho  Apna  Desh , People's Choice 2024' to understand the pulse of 'Bharat ki Janta', on 7 th  March 2024 in Srinagar, the first-ever nation-wide IP (Intellectual Property). The aim of this nation-wide poll was to engage with citizens to identify most preferred tourist attractions and understand tourist perceptions across 5 tourism  categories  -  Spiritual,  Cultural  &  Heritage,  Nature  &  Wildlife, Adventure and others.

The Ministry of Tourism also rolled out the Dekho Apna Desh (DAD) Hand  Written  Brochure  Contest  for  students  from  Kendriya  Vidyalaya (KV) and Navodaya Vidyalaya (NV) to make students become aware of the  tourism  attractions  present  in  their  District.  The  Students  were encouraged to visit the ASI monuments and other destinations in and round their school.

The following activity were undertaken during this initiative:

- The Ministry of Tourism organised the Tourism Education Expo 2026 in around 10 states with the objective to create awareness
- among school students & their parents about career opportunities in Hospitality and Tourism.
- The career counselling sessions, interaction with key personalities of Tourism & Hospitality, Campus tour of institutes etc.  were  undertaken  to  promote  the  premier  institutions  of Tourism and Hospitality education under Ministry of Tourism.
- Preparation of hand written promotional brochure of 2 to 4 pages for the DAD school contest. Around 2000 hand written brochures were prepared by the students.
- The winner schools and students were felicitated in the Winners ceremony  organised  in  various  states  from  February,  2026 onwards.
- On  the  spot  competitions  like  drawing  of  favorite  monument, Fireless  cooking,  quiz  competition  on  tourism  etc.  were  also held.

The  Tourism  Education  Expo  as  well  as  Dekho  Apna  Desh  hand written  brochure  making  competition  encouraged  students  towards tourism education.

(e): The  Ministry  of  Tourism  supported  establishment  of  21  central IHMs, 35 State IHMs and 13 Food Craft Institutes (FCIs) in the country including in Rajasthan. The IHMs conducts undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma and certificate programs in Hospitality and Hotel Administration, Food Production, Accommodation Operations and such other courses.

The  Government  has  undertaken  various  initiatives  to  promote tourism  and  hospitality  education  across  Rajasthan,  which  benefits students  from  Bharatpur,  Nathdwara,  Kumbhalgarh,  and  from  Mewar region. The State of Rajasthan has well-distributed institutional network of  eight  institutes  i.e.  01  CIHM  in  Jaipur,  05  SIHMs  in  Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Udaipur, Dholpur and 02 FCIs at Ajmer & Pali.

Students from Bharatpur are additionally supported through proximity  to  SIHM  Dholpur  (approximately  50 -60  km),  which  offers diploma courses and skill-oriented training programmes.

Similarly, students from Nathdwara and Kumbhalgarh benefit from SIHM Udaipur,  while  those  from  the  Mewar  and  Marwar  regions  have access  to  SIHM  Jodhpur,  thereby  ensuring  regional  outreach  and accessibility to tourism education.

Additionally,  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  conducts  Hospitality  and T ourism related short term training courses under its 'Capacity Building for Service Providers (CBSP)' scheme through Government and empanelled  private  institutes.  These  programmes  include  Hunar  Se Rozgar Tak, Entrepreneurship Programme, Skill Testing & Certification, Tourism  Awareness  Programme,  etc.  to  enhance  employability  of  the candidates majorly in tourism and hospitality sectors. A total of 7933 candidates have been trained in Rajasthan since 2020-21 till date under CBSP.

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