Tourism secretaries meet in New Delhi
	17:58 IST

A day-long Conference of State Tourism Secretaries was held here today. Representatives of Ministries of Home Affairs, Defence, Delhi Police, Civil Aviation, Railways and Road Transport & Highways, also participated in the conference. Smt. Ambika Soni, Minister of Tourism & Culture in her opening statement urged the states to sensitise people about the safety and security of tourists and link it up with the economic progress of their respective states and the country as a whole. She said Tourism should be made safe and secure and states must recognize their strength in Tourism Sector and build on it. Smt Soni said that India is a safe destination and will continue to be a safe destination and, yet some unfortunate incidents of harassement of tourists which have occurred in the recent past are causing concern for all the stakeholders in the Tourism Sector. Government is committed to minimise such incidents in future. The Minister asked the state governments to have a look at the proposal of the Union Ministry of Tourism to involve Ex-Servicemen in the task of ensuring the safety and security of tourists. She said that the country has lived through incidents of terrorism and epidemics such as Bird Flu, Chikungunya, etc and it will definitely check the menace of crime against Tourists especially women tourists. She asked the states to generate awareness among people about safety of tourists especially women tourists as India is known for its hospitality. She said the country is witnessing a tourism boom. About five million tourists arrived in the country in 2007 and the sector earned US$ 12 billion. She said that the Ministry is working towards solving the issues regarding the connectivity, shortage of hotel accommodation in the country and working closely with Ministry of Civil Aviation, Railways and Surface Transport and Highways to build up required tourism infrastructure. The following issues were discussed in this meeting. 1. Safety and Security of Tourists: Safety and Security of tourists is a very important pre-condition for growth of both international and domestic tourism. There have been reports of violence against foreign tourists especially against women tourists in the recent past at some tourist destinations in the country. Shri S. Banerjee, Secretary (Tourism), Government of India, therefore, impressed upon the Tourism Secretaries of States and Union Territories to galvanize the state law enforcement agencies to take effective, exemplary and deterrent measures to prevent occurrence of such incidents. Deployment of Tourist Police at tourist destinations and entry points was also suggested by the Tourism Secretary for this purpose. He also suggested involvement of Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), Ministry of Defence in providing safety and security to tourists. DGR proposed a model in which Ex-Servicemen will work as Tourist Warden/Buddy in each state after proper training. It was also impressed upon the States that investigation of criminal cases against tourists must be immediate and efforts be made to ensure that trial is through the fast track courts in case of heinous crimes. The response from the State Tourism Secretaries was positive. There was unanimity about safety and security of tourists and the need for having a sense of urgency to tackle this problem so that the positive image of the country remains intact. 2. Connectivity to World Heritage Sites and other tourist destinations: India has a large number of natural and manmade world heritage sites and other attractive tourist destinations. However, lack of good connectivity to several of these sites and destinations is a hindrance in development of both domestic and international tourism. The Ministry of Tourism has been taking up this issue with the Ministries of Civil Aviation, Railways and Road Transport & Highways as well as with the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. This matter was discussed in the conference in detail and the concerned Ministries were requested to improve the connectivity to important tourist destinations and sites. The State Governments were also urged upon to improve the state roads connecting important tourist destinations. Improvement of metro and non-metro airports and increase in direct international connectivity with non-metro destinations were also discussed in the conference. The representative of Ministry of Civil Aviation explained the efforts being made by them in this direction and assured cooperation and partnership for improving air connectivity to tourist destinations. 3. Review of Utilisation of funds by State Governments for the infrastructure augmentation projects sanctioned by Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry of Tourism extends central financial assistance to States and UTs for creation of world class tourist infrastructure at important destinations and circuits. Timely execution of the projects is one of the important concerns of the Ministry of Tourism. The State Tourism Secretaries were therefore, advised to expedite implementation of these projects and create an effective monitoring mechanism at the state level. They were also asked to complete the projects sanctioned during the first three years of the 10th Plan by 31st March, 2008 and send the Utilisation and Completion Certificates for the same. Maintenance and upkeep of tourist destinations is another important issue. The State Governments were advised to play a pro-active role in this sphere so that the tourists enjoy sight-seeing at our tourist places. 4. Accommodation related issues (Hotels, Bed & Breakfast Establishments and Human Resource Development) The shortfall in tourist accommodation in the country is estimated to be 1,50,000 rooms by 2010. Out of this, 1,00,000 rooms are required in the budget category. To fill the gap between demand and supply, the State Governments were advised to create land banks and adopt friendly land and taxation policies. Creation of Budget accommodation has to be a priority. As a way forward, the State Governments were advised to allot land on priority at preferential terms for budget hotels. Adoption of single window clearance system by the State Governments was also suggested as an effective measure to expedite clearance of hotel projects in the States. Incredible India Bed & Breakfast scheme has been successfully implemented in Delhi. Other States and UTs were advised to replicate this scheme to tackle the shortage of hotel rooms in the country. There is also a gap in demand and supply of trained manpower in the hospitality industry. The Ministry would also encourage setting up of hospitality institutes in public private partnerships and give thrust to capacity building for service providers in the unorganized sector. The State Governments were also requested to make efforts at the state level for promotion of hospitality education and training on a priority basis. 5. Collection of data on Domestic Tourism: Accurate data is important for tourism planning. Data on international tourists is collected by the Central agencies where as data on domestic tourists is sent to the Ministry by the State Governments/UT Administrations. The State Governments were, therefore, impressed upon to send accurate data on domestic tourism timely on a regular basis. The conference generated a lot of enthusiasm among the Tourism Secretaries and created the necessary climate for taking effective and timely measures both at the central and state levels for promotion of tourism in the country.