New Delhi, March 03 (HS): PM Narendra Modi said on Friday that to give a new height to the tourism sector in India, out-of-the-box thinking and long-term planning will have to be done. He said that the rejuvenation of religious places has given a boost to tourism, last year 7 crore people visited Kashi Vishwanath Dham.
PM Narendra Modi addressed the post-Budget webinar on promoting the ‘Development Tourism Mission’ through video conferencing. He said that today’s ‘New India’ is moving forward with a new work culture. This time also there has been a lot of praise for the budget. The people of the country have taken it positively.
PM Narendra Modi said, in India, “we have to think out-of-the-box and do long-term planning to give new heights to the tourism sector.” He said that whenever it comes to developing a tourist destination, three questions are very important. “First- what is the potential (possibility) of that place Second- what is the infrastructural requirement there for ease of travel, and how will it be fulfilled Third What new things will you do for promotion”
PM Narendra Modi said that desirable and timely results emerge when all the stakeholders join hands to handle the tasks strategically and efficiently. Some people think of tourism as a fancy word and it represents only those who are affluent. The scope of tourism in the context of India is huge and “has been a part of our culture and tradition for ages”.
PM Narendra Modi said that Yatras have been happening here for centuries. Even when if there were no resources, people used to go on pilgrimages even after suffering. He said that Char Dham Yatra, Dwadash Jyotirlinga Yatra, Yatra of 51 Shaktipeeths, and so many such yantras used to connect the places of our faith.
“Our country has immense potential for tourism like coastal, beach, Himalayan tourism, mangrove, adventure tourism, wildlife tourism, eco-tourism, heritage tourism, spiritual tourism, wedding venue, and sports tourism. “We have to make sure to strengthen them.”
PM Narendra Modi said that in spite of this ancient tradition of Yatras, it was unfortunate that no attention was paid to increasing facilities suited to the times at these places. The first hundreds of years of slavery and the political neglect of these places in the decades after independence did much harm to the country.
He said that whenever the facilities for the passengers increase, there is an increase in the number of tourists to that place. He said that if civic amenities are increased in various places of India, there is good digital connectivity, hotels, and hospitals are good, there is no trace of filth, and there is excellent infrastructure, then India’s tourism sector can increase manifold.
He said that the Central Government has also started the Vibrant Border Village Scheme for the villages situated along the border. In such a situation, “we have to do the work of supporting people as much as possible for many such businesses like homestays, and small hotel-restaurant. This is the time when our villages are also becoming centers of tourism. Due to better infrastructure, now far-flung villages are coming to the tourism map.”
Describing wedding destinations as a big business, he said that there are immense possibilities in India regarding this. To attract foreign tourists, he said that “we should develop at least 50 destinations which appear in the list of tourists, then they would think of coming to India”.
Hindusthan Samachar/ Sushil/Indrani Sarkar
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