India tourism targetting arrival of 10 million tourists

New Delhi, Apr 21: Targeting arrival of ten million tourists in a few years, India Tourism is working on a comprehensive project to make the country a round-the-year tourist destination.

''India will very soon become a destination for 365 days,'' Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said here while inaugurating South-Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) Mart at the Pragati Maidan here.

Most of the 3.5 million inbound tourists from foreign countries visit India during the six-month season starting from September.

While underlining that the increase in the foreign tourist arrival would throw a fresh challenge like availability of accommodation, she said she would very soon take up the issues of according infrastructure status to the hotel industry for ensuring all possible incentives for creating more accommodation.

''Issue of visa on arrivals and other options like multiple visa and long term visa would also be taken up with the concerned ministries to facilitate the flow of tourists in the country,'' she said, adding that outsourcing of visa work has also been taken up with the External Affairs Ministry to speed up issuance of the visa through our embassies.

Number of other steps like improvement of the connectivity through air, rail and roads for unexplored destinations, creating of budget accommodations in smaller towns and railway land were also being planned in collaboration with the concerned ministries.

Pointing out that profile of tourist arrivals in the country was changing very fast, Ms Soni said Indian destinations were getting popularity not only in traditional markets but also in new markets like Latin America and West-Africa.

''To catch-up with the trend, the government is taking up number of initiatives to upgrade tourism infrastructure and is hopeful to touch the ten million mark of arrivals within few years,'' she said.

The minister highlighted some of the features of integrated tourism projects in the area of adventure tourism, eco-tourism and Buddhist circuit.

UNI