Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that increasing facilities for tourists in the country ensured the growth of tourists as he stressed upon out-of-the-box thinking and long-term vision. Rejuvenation of religious sites boosted tourism, 7 crore people visited Kashi Vishwanath Dham last year, said Modi.
"When the facilities for the tourists increase, then the attraction among the tourists increases. This leads to a huge increase in their number, we are witnessing this in the country," said Modi during a post-budget webinar on 'Developing Tourism in Mission Mode', according to the news agency ANI.
It is part of a series of 12 post-budget webinars being organised by the government to build on the “Saptarishi” Priorities outlined in the Union Budget 2023-24.
Modi said the scope of tourism is huge and it is a part of India's culture and tradition. "When we talk about tourism, some think it’s a fancy word & it represents only those who are well-off. In the context of India, the scope of tourism is huge and is a part of our culture & tradition since ages," added Modi.
"To give a new height to the tourism sector in India, we have to think out of the box and do long-term planning," stressed Modi.
These webinars are being organised by various Ministries/Departments to seek ideas and suggestions for the effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Budget.
The Budget said the promotion of tourism will be taken up in mission mode, with the active participation of states, the convergence of government programmes and public-private partnerships.
At least 50 destinations will be selected through challenge mode and developed as a complete package of tourism. Sector specific skilling and entrepreneurship development will be dovetailed to achieve the objectives of the Dekho Apna Desh.
Besides ministers and secretaries of the central ministries concerned, a host of stakeholders drawn from the travel and industry sector, representatives from the department of tourism, students, leading industrialists, and educational institutions under the Ministry of Tourism, will attend the session, the ministry said in a statement.
Representatives of industry bodies like FICCI and CII as well as heads of tourism and hospitality industry associations would attend these sessions and contribute through their suggestions and ideas for better implementation of budgetary announcements for the tourism sector.
The themes of the breakout sessions are a destination-centric approach to tourism development, convergence – the power of collaboration, strengthening public-private participation in the tourism sector, driving innovation and digitalisation in tourism sector, impacting lives at grassroot level through tourism and cultural heritage for promotion of tourism, it said.