Dear Esteemed Members of the Media,
The Hon’ble Tourism Minister Mr. Sripad Yesso Naik announces focus on 50 tourist circuits to increase tourism. The press release about the same has been appended below. May I request you to kindly carry the same in your esteemed Media With warm regards, Gazal Bhambri State Head-Goa Confederation of Indian Industry 502, Unitech City Center, M. G. Road, Panaji, Goa 403 001 Tel: 0832 - 2422790 / 2422796 / 9823768445 E-mail: gazal.bham...@cii.in Press Release: Tourism Minister S Y Naik announces focus on 50 tourist circuits to increase tourism The Ministry of Tourism has identified 50 tourist circuits for development. These include Cruise Tourism for Goa, Core Buddhist Circuit, Pilgrimage circuits which include Varanasi Ghat etc. The latter will help augment the initiative undertaken to reinstate the sanctity and development of the holy city. Hon’ble Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Mr Sripad Yesso Naik, disclosed this at an interactive Meeting organized by CII in Goa today. The Minister said that India will be positioned as a Global brand by making travel hassle free and user friendly through implementation of e-visa that will be introduced in a phased manner at nine airports in India including Goa very shortly. This will be a game changer for the tourism industry and will attract large number of foreign tourists. Arjun Sharma, Co-Chair of CII National Committee on Tourism emphasized that for India to achieve its goal of attracting 12 million foreign tourists annually, and to combat issues pertaining to taxation, visa, infrastructure, and other concerns, it is essential that the government and private sectors collaborate and work together to achieve the set targets and help India become a major tourist destination. CII too suggested the creation of an empowered National Tourism Boardcomprising of the government, public and private players who can work in partnership. A step by step approach and deliberation over the existing suggestions of cost of visa and its link to reciprocity, simplifying visa form and procedures, improvements in visa processes, exempting hotels and tour operators from service tax on foreign exchange earnings and alleviating the problem of multiplicity of taxes at various levels will help the sector prosper and become a major foreign exchange earner for India. Another suggestion made by CII was to create a Task Force on Cleanliness and Security and engage ex-servicemen who can provide insights to make an impact. Also, commercial tourist vehicles can make use of smart cards to facilitate seamless travel through state borders. Panaji, 16th September 2014 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- Disclaimer This message, including any files transmitted with it, is for the sole use of the intended recipient and may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any unauthorized use, review, storage, disclosure or distribution of this message and/or its contents in any form is strictly prohibited. If it appears that you are not the intended recipient or this message has been forwarded to you without appropriate authority, please immediately delete this message permanently from your records and notify the sender. CII makes no warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the information in this message and accepts no liability for any damages, including without limitation, direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages, arising out of or due to use of the information given in this message. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Disclaimer This message, including any files transmitted with it, is for the sole use of the intended recipient and may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any unauthorized use, review, storage, disclosure or distribution of this message and/or its contents in any form is strictly prohibited. If it appears that you are not the intended recipient or this message has been forwarded to you without appropriate authority, please immediately delete this message permanently from your records and notify the sender. CII makes no warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the information in this message and accepts no liability for any damages, including without limitation, direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages, arising out of or due to use of the information given in this message.