 "2013 saw Tourism Ministry making lot of promises")
The year 2013 saw Tourism Ministry making lot of promises like bringing about a liberal visa regime, easing restrictions for film shooting and removing hurdles for the growth of the tourism sector but some incidents of sexual assault on foreign tourists brought shame.
Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi quit midway after the government's decision to create Telangana state. His resignation was not accepted and he attended files without going to office.
The ministry made a strong pitch for extending visa-on- arrival (VoA) facilities to many countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Germany, France and South Korea.
The ministry says the tourist visa regime is an impediment to the growth of foreign visitors in the country which ultimately results in lesser foreign exchange earnings.
However, though the VoA issue was also taken up by the Planning Commission, only South Korea seems to have got the nod from the government till now.
The growth in foreign tourist arrivals was 3.8 per cent as 60.48 lakh overseas visitors came during January-November against 58.25 lakh in the same period last year.
The foreign exchange earnings from tourism was Rs 94,156 crore during the 11 months of the year as against Rs 83,938 crore in the corresponding period last year, registering a growth of 12.2 per cent.
Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi quit midway after the government's decision to create Telangana state. His resignation was not accepted and he attended files without going to office.
The ministry made a strong pitch for extending visa-on- arrival (VoA) facilities to many countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Germany, France and South Korea.
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Currently, there are only 11 countries, including Japan, New Zealand, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia, which are being given the facility.
The ministry says the tourist visa regime is an impediment to the growth of foreign visitors in the country which ultimately results in lesser foreign exchange earnings.
However, though the VoA issue was also taken up by the Planning Commission, only South Korea seems to have got the nod from the government till now.
The growth in foreign tourist arrivals was 3.8 per cent as 60.48 lakh overseas visitors came during January-November against 58.25 lakh in the same period last year.
The foreign exchange earnings from tourism was Rs 94,156 crore during the 11 months of the year as against Rs 83,938 crore in the corresponding period last year, registering a growth of 12.2 per cent.