Year End Review-2024 : Ministry of Tourism

India recorded 18.89 Million International Tourist Arrivals in 2023Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through tourism during 2023 surged to Rs. 231927 Crore2509 Million Domestic Tourist Visits during 202340 projects worth Rs. 3295.76 Crore approved under Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) for Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale across 23 States34 Projects sanctioned for Rs. 793.20 Crore under Swadesh Darshan 2.0‘Chalo India’ Campaign launched to invite Indian diaspora to showcase India to their non-Indian friends worldwide; One lakh free e-visas for foreign tourists visiting India under the Campaign‘Incredible India Content Hub’ unveiled to provide global travel and tourism industry a unified source of content on Incredible India‘Paryatan Mitra & Paryatan Didi’ initiative launched to empower locals in key tourist destinations as ambassadors to enhance tourist experiences while promoting employment and community engagement‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice 2024’ – a Nationwide poll launched to identify the most preferred tourist attractionsFour Regional States/UTs Tourism Ministers Conferences organized to ideate and discuss the vision for Tourism sector for Viksit Bharat@204736 villages recognized as winners across 8 categories of the Best Tourism Villages Competition 2024Central Institutes of Hotel Management signed MoUs with Eight leading national and global hospitality groups to globalize Indian hospitality education and enhance employability

The major initiatives and achievements of the Ministry of Tourism during the Year 2024 are as follows:

Infrastructure Development

• Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a total of 76 projects for an amount of Rs.5287.90 Crore under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, out of which 75 projects are physically complete.

Floating Huts & Eco Rooms, Uttarakhand

• Ministry of Tourism has revamped its Swadesh Darshan Scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible destinations following a tourist & destination centric approach. 34 projects have been sanctioned for Rs.793.20 Crore under SD2.0.

• Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a total of 48 projects for an amount of Rs.1646.99 Crore under the PRASHAD Scheme, out of which 23 projects have been completed.

Illumination at Kusum Sarovar, Govardhan, UP

• A total of 65 projects for an amount of Rs 937.56 Crore have been sanctioned under the Assistance to Central Agencies Scheme, out of which 38 projects have been physically completed.

• Ministry of Tourism has formulated guidelines for ‘Challenge Based Destination Development’ as sub scheme of Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme to enhance tourist experience across all points of the tourist value chain. Under this scheme, proposals have been invited under four thematic categories (i) Spiritual Tourism, (ii) Culture & Heritage, (iii) Vibrant Village Program, (iv) Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites. The Ministry of Tourism has selected 42 destinations under various tourism themes for development under the scheme.

• As a follow up to the Budget Announcements 2024-25, a total of 40 projects across 23 States have been sanctioned for an amount of Rs. 3295.76 Crore under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) – Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale to infuse long term interest free loans for a period of 50 years to States for comprehensive development of iconic tourist centers in the country and branding & marketing them at global scale.

Promotion and Marketing

• Ministry of Tourism organized “Bharat Parv” event at the Red Fort grounds, Delhi, as part of the Republic Day Celebrations from 23^rd to 31^st  January, 2024. Thematic Pavilions of States/ UTs were setup to showcase diverse tourist attractions of the country. Cultural performances by various regional cultural associations were also organized. The event promoted Vocal for Local, through the participation of local artisans from across the country by displaying and selling their products.

Bharat Parv 2024

• Launched ‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice 2024’ – a Nationwide poll to identify the most preferred tourist attractions under 5 categories. It is also an effort to identify attractions and destinations for development in mission mode, contributing to India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047.

• Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Education is organizing a nation-wide Dekho Apna Desh Schools Contest for Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) and Navodaya Vidyalaya (NV) Schools. The students are expected to create physical brochure of their District’s tourism attractions, destinations, experiences, and other offerings. The initiative aims to make the students aware about the tourism wonders and attractions present in each district of the country.

• Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign was launched to enable Indian diaspora members become Incredible India ambassadors. The campaign has been implemented in the spirit of Jan Bhagidari for an Atulya and Viksit Bharat to encourage the Indian diaspora to invite their 5 non-Indian friends to travel to India every year. One lakh free e-visas for foreign tourists visiting India under ‘Chalo India’ campaign have been announced for the remaining part of the current Financial Year.

• On the occasion of the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi in July 2024, an ‘Incredible India’ exhibition was set up at Bharat Mandapam to highlight India’s rich cultural heritage, age-old civilization, geographical diversity, hidden gems in tourism along with modern developments, for the delegates. All the 36 States and Union Territories along with 10 Central Ministries & Departments, showcased their offerings in the exhibition. In addition, the Ministry also arranged heritage walks and tours for delegates in the city of Delhi.

India Exhibition _ World Heritage Committee Meeting

• The  Vice President of India graced the World Tourism Day Celebrations, organized by the Ministry of Tourism on 27th September, 2024, at New Delhi. The theme for this year’s World Tourism Day was ‘Tourism & Peace’. The event was also attended by the Union Ministers of Civil Aviation, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, Minister of State for Tourism, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ambassadors from various Foreign Missions in India, senior officials from various Ministries and Departments of Government of India, officials from State/UT Governments, travel trade and hospitality industry.

• The Incredible India Content Hub was launched to provide the travel and tourism industry around the world access to high quality images, videos, and other information they might need to promote Incredible India.

• Ministry of Tourism has been organizing International Tourism Mart (ITM) in the North Eastern Region to showcase the tourism potential of North Eastern States of India. The 12th edition of International Tourism Mart (ITM) was held in Kaziranga, Assam from 26th to 29th, November, 2024.

12th ITM, Kaziranga, 2024

• Ministry of Tourism participates in travel fairs/exhibitions held in overseas markets to showcase India’s tourism destinations and products. During this year, the Ministry of Tourism has participated in several international exhibitions including ITB Berlin, MITT Moscow, FITUR Madrid, ATM Dubai, IMEX Frankfurt, PATA Travel Mart, Japan Tourism Expo, IFTM Top Resa, WTM London, etc.

India Pavilion at Fitur

Tourism Statistics

• International Tourist Arrivals (ITAs) in India during 2023 were 18.89 Million.

• Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2023 were 9.52 Million.

• Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through tourism during 2023 were Rs.231927 Crore.

• Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) in India during 2023 were 2509 Million.

Meetings and Conferences

• Ministry of Tourism organized Four Regional States/UTs Tourism Ministers Conferences from 22nd August, 2024 to 9th September, 2024 in Chandigarh, Goa, Shillong and Bangalore to ideate and discuss the vision for the tourism sector for Viksit Bharat@2047.

Southern States/ UTs Tourism Ministers Conference

Sustainable Development

Ministry of Tourism launched the second edition of the Best Tourism Village Competition 2024 with the aim to acknowledge villages which best exemplify tourism destination. This competition was conducted in partnership with States, Industry and other tourism stakeholders. 36 villages were recognized as winners across 8 categories of the Best Tourism Villages competition 2024.

Skill Development

• Ministry of Tourism launched a national responsible tourism initiative by the name of ‘Paryatan Mitra & Paryatan Didi’ on 27th September 2024, World Tourism Day to enable tourism as a vehicle for social inclusion, employment, and economic progress as well as to elevate the overall experience for tourists in destinations, by having them meet ‘tourist-friendly’ people who are proud Ambassadors and Storytellers for their destination.

• Ministry of Tourism enabled the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between 8 leading hospitality chains and 21 Institutes of Hotel Management. This partnership aims to leverage the expertise of private hotel chains to provide students with exposure to the industry’s best practices, enhancing their employability and ensuring that tourists visiting India receive top-quality services.

Ease Of Doing Business

• Ministry of Tourism has launched a handbook offering a step-by-step guide to support efforts of States/UTs in granting and implementing ‘industry status’ for the tourism and hospitality sector with the aim to attract greater investments and generate job opportunities within this sector across States/UTs.

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BeenaYadav