New Delhi, Sep 27: India’s ancient philosophy of ‘Vasuadhaiva Kutumbakam’ — the world is one family — finds its true expression in tourism, Union minister Ajay Bhatt said on Wednesday and asserted that the country has come across as a “strong destination” for MICE tourism, when the nation successfully conducted G20 meetings at 60 locations.
The G20 meetings were held across different tracks from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh since December 1, and culminated in the G20 Summit that was hosted at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from September 9-10.
Bhatt, Minister of State for Tourism and Defence, was speaking here at the global launch of ‘Travel for LiFE’, a sectoral programme under ‘Mission LiFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment), targeted towards the tourism sector, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The event was held at the newly-built Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan by the Ministry of Tourism on the occasion of World Tourism Day.
“I request every traveller, every businessman, and every citizen to adopt this programme (‘Travel for LiFE’). To all Indian missions abroad, I convey my deep appreciation for your firm commitment in promoting Indian tourism and culture globally,” Bhatt said.
“Your dedication and efforts play and important role in showcasing ‘Travel for LiFE’ principles on a global stage,” he said.
Tourism is not just about sightseeing, it’s about experiences and understanding. It is about living the heritage and cherishing it, the Union minister said.
“Our ancient philosophy of Vasuadhaiva Kutumbakam — the world is one family, finds its true expression in tourism. It reminds us of our shared heritage, our common future and our collective responsibilities towards our planet.
“Our country has also come across as a strong destination for MICE tourism, when we successfully conducted the G20 meetings at 60 destinations. Today’s venue, Bharat Mandapam, and the newly-inaugurated Yashobhoomi convention centre in Delhi are two world-class MICE facilities, ready to host conference tourism from all parts of the world,” he said.
Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions tourism (MICE tourism) refers to a type of tourism in which large groups or gatherings, usually planned well in advance, are brought together at a sprawling location.
‘Vasuadhaiva Kutumbakam — One Earth. One Family. One Future.’ is the theme of the G20 under India’s presidency of the influential bloc.
India assumed the presidency of the G20 for a year from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023.
From big metros to smaller cities, including those rich in history and scenic beauty such as Hampi and Khajuraho, India has hosted nearly 200 G20 meetings at a number of locations across the country.
The first Tourism Working Group Meeting of the G20 was held at Runn of Kutch in Gujarat followed by the second one at Siliguri and Darjeeling in West Bengal, the third one was hosted in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, and the fourth and the last one in Goa that was followed by the G20 Tourism Ministerial in the coastal state.
Bhatt, in his address on Wednesday, also said, “I am also happy to acknowledge the active involvement of YUVA Tourism Clubs in today’s event”.
“I am also excited to announce the challenge to design edible cutlery by the Ministry of Tourism. This innovative initiative promotes sustainability and also showcases our commitment to reduce environmental footprint,” he said.
‘Travel for LiFE’ is a part of ‘Mission LiFE’, and sets the path to a sustainable planet earth, the minister said.
“As responsible citizens, let us lead by examples, by pledging to follow the principles and actions through ‘Travel for LiFE’,” he said.
He added that the recent G20 Leaders’ Summit has demonstrated India’s commitment to forging global unity and collaboration, and the deliberations echoed the collective aspirations of nations for a sustainable future.
Union Tourism Secretary V Vidhyavathi, Union Environment Secretary Leena Nandan, and other senior officials were present at the launch.
Vidhyavathi underlined that the ‘Travel for LiFE’ programme will encourage tourists to take simple actions that result in conservation of the environment, biodiversity, improvement in the local economy and preservation of the socio-cultural integrity of the local communities.
Nandan said the challenge of climate change has to be met by governments, by organisations and by individuals through positive and proactive environment-related actions.
“The event saw the launch of the ‘Travel for LiFE’ programme for two different verticals viz., ‘Travel for LiFE for Cleanliness’ – a national TFL campaign for cleaning tourist sites and monuments in convergence with the ‘Swachhata’ campaign and ‘Travel for LiFE’ for Rural Tourism encouraging tourists to explore the rural and lesser-known hinterland promoting sustainable rural tourism thereby empowering rural communities,” the Tourism Ministry said in a statement.
The event also saw the launch of other initiatives such as ‘Tourism for Tomorrow’ competition, Design Edible Cutlery Competition, Yuva Tourism Club merchandises and the ‘Swachhata Campaign’ that will be carried out at 108 tourism sites across India.
The objective of the whole cleanliness drive to start in October, is to ensure garbage cleaning, sanitation and banning single-use plastic, and promoting use of eco-friendly substances. For a wider reach, students of schools and colleges and members of Yuva Tourism Clubs (YTC) have also been involved, it said.
The ‘Tourism for Tomorrow’ competition builds upon the five key priorities of G20 GOA Roadmap for Tourism — green tourism, digitalisation, skills, tourism MSMEs, and destination management. The Ministry of Tourism will recognise and support SDG-driven tourism best pactices in India through the facilitation of this competition.
The design challenge competition for Institutes of Hotel Management affiliated to NCHMCT (National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology) under Ministry of Tourism has been planned to develop innovative solutions in the field of edible cutlery, the statement said. (Agencies)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
