Kolkata, July 11 (Inditop.com) The number of foreign tourists visiting India has grown after weathering the effects of the global meltdown and last November’s Mumbai terror strikes, a top tourism ministry official said here Saturday.
“The tourist arrival figures in India for June this year show a growth of 0.2 percent compared to the figure of June 2008,” tourism secretary Sujit Banerjee said in his keynote address at the 72nd Travel and tourism Fair.
Describing the tourism sector as the vehicle for the turnaround of the Indian economy, he said efforts were needed to explore the opportunities to bring back the foreign tourists to the country and increase foreign exchange.
The ministry is also coming up with new policy guidelines to encourage caravan tourism, wellness tourism and heliport tourist in the country.
Under the caravan tourism concept, travellers would be put up in caravans fitted with all modern amenities and taken around the countryside. This could provide the additional accommodation facilities in the absence of hotel room availability.
Heliport tourism aims to promote hilly and remote areas with good tourism potential but are not easily accessible by road or rail network.
“The ministry aims to provide financial assistance to the state governments to build helipads at these locations. Regular helicopter services from the nearest city can then be started to ferry tourists to the destination,” he said.
As part of the 100-day agenda of the new government, the Kolkata-based Institute of Hotel Management would kick off a six to eight week fast track skill training programme for youth under 25.
These programmes would be in food production and food and beverages services.
In another initiative, the ongoing service providers would be provided skill certification by the ministry to make them more employable, while workers at dhabas (roadside eateries) and small restaurants will be given a three-day crash course on hygiene and sanitation.
The tourism department is also set to begin a cruise “Ganga Heritage Tour” from Kolkata that would cover twelve heritage sites in six districts of West Bengal.
Tourism contributes 6.63 percent of the GDP and provides 8.89 percent of total employment of the country.
