Top Section
Explore Business Standard
Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.
Forty projects worth over Rs 3,295 crore and spanning 23 states have received nod from the Centre for developing lesser-known destinations into iconic sites and promote a more balanced distribution of tourists across the country. As per the directives of the Department of Expenditure, the Ministry of Tourism issued operational guidelines for Special Assistance to States/Union Territories for Capital Investment (SASCI) for the development of iconic tourist centres, officials said. The Ministry of Tourism circulated the SASCI guidelines to the state governments with a request to formulate and submit the project proposals to the ministry, which are iconic in nature and can create impactful destinations, they said. By the last date of submission, October 15, 2024, a total of 87 project proposals were received costing more than Rs 8,000 crore, a senior official in the ministry said. Thereafter, the Ministry of Tourism in line with the guidelines and as per the procedure or criteria, ...
Goa, Mumbai, Chennai and Jaipur are other popular destinations, according to travel booking firm
The situation worsened two weeks ago when former PM Sheikh Hasina resigned amid student protests, resulting in temporary flight disruptions and suspension of all visas except those for medical reasons
A total of 1.92 crore foreign tourists visited India last year, a jump from 10.54 lakh in the pandemic year of 2021, according to the Tourism ministry. Responding to a question in Lok Sabha, Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat gave data of foreign tourist visits (FTVs) to India from 2021 to 2023. According to the data, 1,92,45,817 foreign tourist visits were recorded in 2023, while the number stood at 85,87,562 in 2022, and 10,54,642 in 2021. Delhi saw a remarkable rise from 1,00,178 FTVs in 2021 to an estimated 18,28,116 FTVs in 2023. Similarly, Goa's foreign tourist arrivals jumped from 22,128 in 2021 to 4,52,692 in 2023. Maharashtra experienced one of the highest increases, with FTVs growing from 1,85,643 in 2021 to an estimated 33,87,739 in 2023. Smaller states and UTs also reported significant growth. The Andaman & Nicobar Islands saw an increase from 1,687 FTVs in 2021 to 9,025 in 2023. Arunachal Pradesh, which had only 182 FTVs in 2021, welcomed 4,496 i
Over 1.35 crore tourists flocked to famous destinations in Gujarat during this summer vacation, marking a 17 per cent increase compared to the previous year, the state government said on Wednesday. From April 1 to June 10 this year, more than 1.35 crore tourists visited 12 prominent attractions and pilgrimage sites in the state. This is a notable rise from the 1.14 crore tourists who visited during the same period in 2023, a government release stated. Key tourist spots included the Statue of Unity, Atal Bridge, Riverfront-Flower Park, Kankaria Lake, Somnath Temple, Ambaji Temple, Pavagadh Temple, Dwarkadhish Temple, Science City in Ahmedabad, Vadnagar, Gir and Devalia Safari Parks, and Ahmedabad Metro Railway. Ahmedabad district and Ahmedabad city, which has been declared India's first UNESCO World Heritage City, emerged as top tourist destinations in the financial year 2023-24. Ahmedabad district welcomed 4.26 crore visitors, while the city itself attracted 2.25 crore tourists, th
The IRCTC board has declared a final dividend of Rs 4 per share of face for the financial year 2023-24
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged the issue of couples opting for destination weddings abroad and said people should be encouraged to "Wed in India" so that wealth remains within the country. Virtually addressing the foundation laying ceremony of the Khodaldham Trust Cancer Hospital to come up in Gujarat's Amreli city, the PM also appealed to the people to help promote domestic tourism. Modi said his government has taken steps to ensure that people do not face difficulties in the treatment of cancer by setting up around 30 new hospitals for providing medical care for the disease and ensuring the availability of medicines at affordable prices. More than 1.5 lakh 'Ayushman Arogya Mandirs' (health centres) have also been built at the village level to help in the early diagnosis of the disease, he said. Addressing the gathering of members of the Leuva Patidar community which manages the Shri Khodaldham Trust-Kagavad, Modi said, "Is it appropriate to hold marriage abroad? .
Maldivian ministers mocked PM Modi's visit to Lakshadweep, stating that India could not compete in terms of tourism
More than 7.2 million foreign tourists arrived in India this year till October, the government said on Monday. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha. He was also asked if the government is developing some tourist destinations for the promotion of tourism and attracting foreign tourists. Reddy shared data on foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) during the five years since 2018. Foreign tourist arrivals stood at 10.56 million (in 2018), 10.93 million (in 2019), slipping to 2.74 million (in 2020), 1.52 million (in 2021) and 6.44 million (in 2022), according to the data sourced from the Bureau of Immigration. In 2023, the (provisional) foreign tourist arrival figures till October stood at 7.24 million. "The (Union) Ministry of Mines has taken up the proposal to develop infrastructure/facilities of erstwhile Bharat Gold Mines Limited (Kolar Gold Fields) into tourist destination/site with the Ministry of Tourism," Reddy added. In
In outbound travel, India will be behind only the US, China, Germany and the UK but ahead of Italy, South Korea, Australia, Canada and France, to name only a few
According to the India Tourism Statistics 2022 data, inbound passenger traffic peaked in 2019, with India recording 73,137 arrivals from Israel
Promoting lesser-known tourist destinations in the country, MakeMyTrip in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism has launched the "Traveller Map of India"
Five key priorities of the G20 tourism track, including green tourism, digitalisation and destination management, were "endorsed by all G20 countries" for achieving a sustainable, resilient and inclusive growth in the sector, officials said on Wednesday. A Goa Roadmap and Action Plan and a ministerial outcome document came out at the end of the G20 ministerial meeting here. The meeting was preceded by the Tourism Working Group (TWG) Meeting here. About 130 delegates from countries such as the US, the UK, Spain, South Africa, Russia, Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Oman, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and top international organisations took part in the ministerial meeting. The delegates were greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via a recorded video message in which he welcomed them to "Incredible India". Later, official sources said, the members arrived at a "broad consensus" in the Goa Roadmap and Action Plan and the ministerial communique. Unio
Director General for the Ministry of Tourism from Spain, Felix De Paz, said that it is important for the world that India takes the lead in terms of making tourism more sustainable
The Centre will soon declare a national tourism policy and is also planning a global tourism investment summit, Union minister G Kishan Reddy said on Monday. He, along with Union minister Jitendra Singh and India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, was addressing a press conference at SKICC here after the culmination of a side event on 'Film Tourism for Economic and Cultural Preservation' as part of the three-day third Tourism Working Group Meeting of the G20. "We are going to soon declare national tourism policy for India. We are planning global tourism investment summit," Reddy, the minister for Culture and Tourism, said. He said the Centre is allowing 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in tourism. "Our idea is that without private investment, we cannot become a global destination," he added. Reddy said the Union government and the Ministry of Tourism are closely working with all the ministries and the state governments to encourage tourism. "The government of India is also wo
Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said tourism can be a positive force for economic transformation, rural development and community wellbeing, and India plans to use the key segment to achieve sustainable development goals during its G20 Presidency. The minister was addressing a side event at the start of a three-day Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting of G20 at the tent city of Dhordo in Gujarat's Kutch district. This is the first meeting of the working group. Speaking at a panel discussion on 'Rural Tourism for Community Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation', Reddy said, India is focused on using tourism as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) during its G20 Presidency." SDGs are a call for action by all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. "The soul of India lives in its villages," the minister said quoting Mahatma Gandhi. The focus of rural tourism should be to showcase villages, the country's way o
The US on Friday asked its citizens to exercise "increased caution" while travelling to India due to "crime and terrorism" and advised them to not to travel to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In a new travel advisory issued on Friday, the US State Department reduced the India Travel Advisory Level to 2 on a scale of one to 4 with the latter being the highest. The State Department in a separate advisory, a day earlier, had put Pakistan on Level 3 and asked its citizens to reconsider their travel especially its restive provinces due to terrorism and sectarian violence. Exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism, said the State Department. Do not travel to: The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest. Within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border due to the potential for armed conflict, it said. According to the travel advisory, "Indian authorities report rape is one of th
Varanasi, Tirupati, Puri, Amritsar and Shirdi have emerged as the top pilgrimage destinations, according to a report by travel tech firm OYO. The report titled 'India's Treasure Trove of Cultural Travel 2022' said with over 3.5 times growth over the past year, Srinagar clocked the highest growth in bookings among cultural destinations in 2022. Besides Srinagar, Pahalgam and Jammu in J&K also ranked among the top cultural destinations in India, the report released on Monday said. As per OYO's booking data analysed between January to April 2022, Srinagar, Pahalgam, Bodhgaya, Shirdi and Jammu are among India's top five cultural destinations in order of ranking. "Varanasi, seen by many as the spiritual hub, tops the chart as the most popular pilgrimage destination in India in 2022. This is followed by Tirupati, Puri, Amritsar and Shirdi. Besides this, OYO's Mid-Summer Vacation Index also highlights keen consumer interest in visiting Vaishno Devi this summer," it said. As per the ...
Relief meant for 'contact-intensive sectors' that have been pulled down due to coronavirus
Gandhi Jayanti and Christmas weekends were the country's favourite holidays to travel in 2020. In December, over 1.7 million people have checked in over the weekends so far