Cabinet may discuss National Tourism Policy next month: Panwar

The Union Cabinet is expected to take a decision next month on the new National Tourism Policy, which aims to create jobs and increase India's share in global tourism, a top government official today said.
Tourism Secretary Lalit K Panwar said that the ministry has already circulated the draft policy for inter-ministerial consultation.
"The draft policy is already on website. 25 ministries have already sent their comments to us. We expect that next month we will be able to put it before the Cabinet," Panwar said.
He was speaking at a function on tourism at Ficci.
The Secretary said the main thrust of the policy is to create jobs for youth as India has a huge advantage of demographic dividend.

The new policy aims to increase India's share in global tourism from current the 0.64 per cent.

Talking about e-tourist visa, Panwar said the facility has already been extended to 77 countries and another 73 countries would be notified soon as the ministry has requested the Home Ministry in this regard.
India had launched e-Tourist Visa in November last year. The government plans to extend the scheme to 150 countries by the end of the financial year.
The top beneficiaries of this facility include nationals of the US, followed by Russia and Korea.
Enumerating 14 initiatives of the government to push tourism sector, he said the ministry is in the process of opening up Indian Culinary Institutes in Noida and Tirupati.

"Five such institutes will be opened in the country," he said adding, a 24X7 helpline number has been created and MoUs have been signed with the countries visited by the Prime Minister to enhance cooperation in the sector.
He also said that India will launch the 'Incredible India 2.0' campaign and for that eminent ad filmmaker Prasoon Joshi has been inducted.
"It will be the sequel of the first Incredible India campaign, which was launched in 2002. The USP of this will be the e-tourist visas. The other highlights include e-ticketing," Panwar said.