DRLondon: Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India continues to show an upward trend with the first half of 2019 registering an increase of 2.1 per cent, informed Yogendra Tripathi IAS, Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism during an interactive session at the recently concluded World Travel Market (WTM) 2019 in London.
The delegation led by Yogendra Tripathi IAS pitched India as an experiential tourism destination particularly highlighting the innumerable adventure tourism opportunities
“India received around 10.56 million FTAs in 2018 registering a growth of 5.2 per cent over 2017. During January – August 2019, we have received 6.9 million foreign tourists as compared to 6.7 million in the previous year,” said Tripathi, attributing the growth to the introduction of e-visa facility, now available to nationals of 169 countries, valid for entry through 28 designated airports and five designated seaports. The Secretary exuded confidence that the recent reduction in the Goods & Services Tax (GST) will make India more competitive “as it will bring down the cost of the travel packages considerably.”
“For Madhya Pradesh, as far as international visitors are concerned, the top three source markets are the US, UK and Europe. In 2019, we have seen growth in adventure and culinary tourism. Bandhavgarh, a popular tiger reserve, was featured in the BBC’s iconic series Dynasties and has garnered good tourist traction in the past year. In 2020, we will continue to participate in trade shows and roadshows featuring the culinary offerings of Indore, Bhopal and Gwalior. Besides, several new itineraries, including spiritual and cultural tours, have been added to already popular programs featuring tigers and heritage sites”
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai IAS, Secretary, Tourism & MD, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board
Tripathi led the India delegation at WTM 2019 which comprised 32 co-exhibitors/partners including various State Governments, Union Territories, tour operators, hoteliers and wellness centres, effectively showcasing their diverse tourism products and services. The Secretary officially launched the Incredible India pavilion in association with Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General (Tourism) and Ruchi Ghanashyam, High Commissioner of India to the UK.
At a panel discussion on ‘Incredible India – Find the Incredible You’ moderated by Nina Dos Santos, CNN’s Europe Editor, Tripathi and team pitched India as an experiential tourism destination particularly highlighting the innumerable adventure tourism opportunities in the country. He also mentioned about the recently opened 137 mountain peaks for mountaineering and trekking, located in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
However, at the interactive session, top officials had a tough time answering questions on poor air quality in New Delhi, domestication of elephants and the like. Media representatives, who turned up for the session, even alleged lack of cooperation from the office of the Ministry of Tourism citing no response to email communications
