NEW DELHI : President Pranab Mukherjee today stressed the need for building a high quality tourism infrastructure to help increase tourism inflow in the country.
After presenting National Tourism Awards, the President said, ”With the growth of the Indian economy and the increase in disposable income of the people, we may expect tourist inflows to remain on a positive trajectory in the years to come. We must pay focussed attention to the building of a high quality tourism infrastructure in the country.
”The launch of two initiatives – Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive) – aiming at integrated development of circuits and pilgrim centres would go a long way in achieving this objective.”
Addressing the function, where Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma was the guest of honour, the President also stressed the need to create adequate safety mechanisms to reassure tourists in the country.
”The safety mechanisms that we create, the precautions that we put in place must reassure our guests – so that they never have to be apprehensive about their personal safety or that of their belongings,” the President said.
In this context, he lauded the initiative taken by the Tourism Ministry to launch a 24×7 Incredible India Helpline to provide the tourists valuable information and to guide them during emergencies. ”The Ministry of Tourism has taken the initiative to address the safety concerns of the tourists by launching 24×7 Incredible India Helpline to provide the tourists valuable information and to guide them during emergencies. The Welcome Booklet being distributed at immigration counters containing information on Dos and Don’ts for tourists would also be a helpful aid for foreign tourists immediately on their arrival,” the President said.
Noting that inconsistent sanitation standards would have a negative impact on tourism in the country, the President said the Tourism Ministry’s Swachh Bharat-Swachh Parayatan campaign to promote cleanliness and hygiene at tourist destinations is a welcome step in the right direction. ”Inconsistent sanitation standards would have a negative impact. This would be unfortunate especially at a time when our tourism industry is projecting the unique beauty of our cultural sites, the scenic splendour of our adventure destinations and the richness of our architectural heritage.
The Ministry of Tourism’s Swachh Bharat-Swachh Parayatan campaign to promote cleanliness and hygiene at tourist destinations is a welcome step in the right direction. It calls for all stakeholders to work together to achieve this goal in all aspects of the India experience.
”I would also stress that it is essential for the Tourism Ministry to take the lead and set the highest standards in this regard. It is equally important to develop systems for effective monitoring to ensure that these standards are maintained by establishments across the board,” the President .said.
Mr Mukherjee urged the tourism industry to consciously plan its investments in a manner that the growth of this sector is sustained without compromising the natural and cultural heritage. ”Quicker access to distant locations, larger disposable incomes and rising lifestyle aspirations now characterise the growing numbers of travellers. I urge the tourism industry to consciously plan its investments in a manner that the growth of this sector is sustained without compromising our natural and cultural heritage.
”New and innovative methods should be introduced to conserve energy and water. It should be incumbent on tourist establishments and hospitality units to operate in a way that they are able to reduce water and energy consumption, cut down on the generation of waste, improve waste management and ensure creative recycling and efficient waste disposal,” he said.
The President said broader social contacts between tourists and receiving communities go a long way in enhancing mutual understanding, tolerance, and awareness between peoples.
Noting that India offers one of the best tourism experiences in the world, the President expressed confidence that ”collectively we can earn India its rightful place in the tourism map of the world”.
Congratulating the award winners, the President said, ”These exceptional individuals and institutions who have been felicitated today have distinguished themselves through their dedication in promoting India as a tourist destination.”
He expressed hope that the honours conferred today would reinforce the commitment of all the stakeholders in the tourism sector and motivate them to work with renewed vigour for its expansion and growth.
Earlier addressing the gathering, the Tourism Minister said though there has been a sharp increase in foreign tourist arrivals in the country in the recent months, much more needed to be done to realise the full scope of tourism potential of India, which is unique for its four seasons and a huge diversity of cultures.
He said Tourism was a issue close to the heart of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and focus in the sector was on three elements, the most important of them being cleanliness and safety.
He said that to ensure the cleanliness at tourist spots in the country, 25 best tourism spots of the country would be taken up under the Swachh Bharat programme of the Central government. On the issue of safety, he said the government has launched a 24X7 Incredible India Helpline to provide the tourists valuable information and to guide them during emergencies.
At present the helpline is available in Hindi and English but it will shortly be available in 12 of the world’s languages. He said that it was not just the responsibility of the government to ensure safety of tourists but all private operators were equal stakeholders in efforts to take tourism to new heights.
Gujarat won the award for Best state or Union territory with comprehensive development of tourism while Madhya Pradesh won the second prize in the category and Rajasthan came third. Madhya Pradesh also won the award in the category of Best civic management of a tourist destination of India Category B and also the award for Best maintained and disable-friendly monument as well as in the category of Most tourist friendly Railway station (Habibganj).
IGI airport in Delhi won the award for Best Airport (Class X cities) while Swami Vivekananda airport in Raipur, Chhattisgarh won the award in the Best Airport (Rest of India) category. The Ministry of Tourism annually presents National Tourism Awards to various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.
These awards are being given to state governments/Union Territories, classified hotels, heritage hotels, approved travel agents, tour operators and tourist transport operators, individuals and other private organisations in recognition of their performance in their respective fields. (AGENCIES)
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