Tag Archives: tourist

Silence of the Lambs

Two things are happening in stark contrast of each other, and unsavory to both, India’s inbound trade and the Government. The gulf between inbound and outbound has continued to widen. In 2019, India’s best tourism year in terms of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs), the country received 10.9 million visitors against 26.9 million outbound Indian tourists. India was producing 2.5 tourists for every single tourist it received.

In 2023, which was the first Covid-free travel year, India’s outbound tourism bounced back strongly, registering a record 27.1 million outbound visitors. However, inbound was different story. In the absence of any credible plan or promotions in the overseas market, India could barely reach 85 per cent (9.2 million) of its peak 2019 number. So, in 2023, India was producing nearly 3 outbound tourists for every single tourist it received.

Come 2024, there was near unanimity across stakeholders, Government or private, of not just a full inbound recovery but potentially, a growth. However, H1 2024 numbers were still 10 per cent behind the peak 2019 corresponding period. And if that was not enough, the political turmoil in India’s biggest tourism source market, Bangladesh that began in July not only decimated any hope of a rebound in H2 2024, but has potentially already dragged the year-till-date 2024 number below the corresponding 2023 period. As for the available data for H1 2024, India was producing 3.15 outbound tourists for every single tourist it received. And for June alone, the gulf has further widened to 3.4 outbound travellers for a single tourist received!

Now, what’s utterly surprising is that given the plethora industry associations and federations, inbound has miserably failed to argue its case so far. A big shout out and a joint representation, cobbled together bringing every sector of tourism industry, and led by some of the most powerful voices like those of Taj, the Oberoi, the Lalit, the Park, Marriott, Air India, IndiGo, and the IATOs and the HAIs of the industry, is the need of the hour!

Kashmir Marathon Set to Promote J&K as a Leading Tourist Hub:LG

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha stated that the Kashmir Marathon will showcase Jammu and Kashmir as a top-tier tourist destination.

Introducing the logo, website, and teaser for the inaugural Kashmir Marathon set for October 20 in Srinagar, LG Sinha stated, “We aspire to make this event a beacon of peace and harmony. I am confident the Kashmir Marathon will place J&K firmly on the global running map and enhance global recognition of J&K, highlighting our potential as a premier tourist destination.”

He congratulated the J&K Tourism Department and all the stakeholders associated with the international running event.

The LG invited runners from around the globe to join the Kashmir Marathon and discover the unique charm of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that the Kashmir Marathon was the next addition to the series of world-class events being organised in J&K following the successful F4 racing event in Srinagar, the Sunburn Music Festival in Jammu, and the J&K Tourism Development Conclave held recently in Srinagar.

“We are also exploring possibilities to organise the annual Jammu Marathon,” LG Sinha said.

Emphasizing the socio-economic benefits of the Kashmir Marathon, he noted that the event would invigorate local businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops, thus enhancing the region’s prosperity.

Tourist vehicles mandated to carry garbage bags when entering Sikkim

All tourist vehicles entering Sikkim will now have to mandatorily carry a large garbage bag, according to an official order.

The decision has been taken to ensure community participation towards achieving the goal of environmental sustainability, said the order issued by the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department.

It will be the responsibility of the tour operators, travel agencies and vehicle drivers to inform the traveller about the use of garbage bags for waste disposal, it said.

Random checks of tourist vehicles would be conducted to ensure compliance, and any vehicle found violating the order will be penalised, it added.

Awareness campaigns about cleanliness are being carried out to educate tourists about waste management and environmental sustainability, officials said.

Rajasthan Tourism organisations Unite to Promote Untapped Destinations

The hidden gems of Rajasthan, long overlooked by tourists, are poised to step into the spotlight as several organizations within the state collaborate on a comprehensive vision document for submission to the government. Tourism, a vital economic sector comprising 12-14 percent of Rajasthan’s economy, stands to benefit from this concerted effort. “People associated with the hotel and tourism industry of the state have started efforts to bring such areas on the tourism map,” said Kuldeep Singh Chandela, president of the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR). Chandela said there was immense potential for tourism in the state. “Some areas are famous all over the world but some are yet to come on the tourism map. Only after increasing the reach of tourists in such areas can the tourism sector in Rajasthan be fully developed,” Chandela said. Tribal belts like Dungarpur, Banswara, Jhalawar, and Pratapgarh can be developed into tourist sites, he said. “This area encompasses not only natural beauty but also heritage. So, it is the responsibility of the government as well as the industry to bring forward such areas on the tourism map. We will discuss this matter with the government in the vision document,” he added. In 2023, Banswara received over 1.92 million domestic tourists and only 69 foreign tourists. While Dungarpur recorded 4.08 million domestic and 231 foreign tourists in 2023, Jhalawar attracted 203,000 domestic and 17 foreign tourists. (Source: The Business Standard)

Want to turn Himachal Pradesh into tourist capital of India: CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that his plans to turn his state into the tourist capital of India. Tourism brings in a lot of GST to us, the Chief Minister said. Sukhu was speaking at the AajTak G20 Summit in New Delhi.

He spoke about plans to expand the tourism industry in Himachal Pradesh, including getting an international airport in the state. The Chief Minister also spoke about plans to decentralise tourism.

Addressing a session, Sukhu first spoke about calamity being faced by the hilly state. He said that in the past one month, Himachal Pradesh has faced two devastating incidents. In the first instance, in July, cloudbursts had led to landslides, with tourists and several vehicles left stranded due to it. And the second part was from August 13 to August 16 when continuous downpour led to landslides, the chief minister said. (Source: India Today)

Centre asks states and UTs to stop charging additional levies from tourist vehicles

According to a report in The Mint, the ministry of road transport and highways has asked states and union territories to stop charging additional levies in the form of passenger tax, checkpost tax and border tax from tourist vehicles.

In a letter to principal secretaries, transport secretaries and transport commissioners of states and UTs, the road ministry said vehicles with all India tourist permits have a mechanism where permit fees are shared with the states. Any charge in addition to that is unjustified and restricts the free movement of tourist traffic, it added.

Though transport services come under the purview of state governments that have powers to frame rules and regulations related to them, the Central government is empowered under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to make rules for promoting tourism, including granting permits to tourist vehicles valid for the whole of lndia. Most tourist vehicles on interstate routes operate on the basis of all India permits.

“The All-lndia Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023 were made with the objective of seamless and hassle-free movement of tourist vehicles across the country on the strength of permit issued after making the payment of fee prescribed…lt is pertinent to mention here that the permit fee collected under Rule 3 is disbursed among the States and UTs in the following month,” the letter from MoRTH said.

MoRTH notified the All-India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023 in April 18 and made its provisions applicable from May.

However, in the absence in proper information about rules changes, a few state governments have been charging additional permit fee .