India’s President Ram Nath KovindIndia’s President, Ram Nath Kovind, has asked all travel and tourism stakeholders to work together to see that India becomes a favored destination for tourists. He said that in India the livelihood of a very large number of people is linked to the tourism industry.
The President lauded the foresight and role of Adi Shankaracharya, an Indian philosopher and great thinker from the early 8th century, also known as the architect of pilgrimage tourism, who had centuries earlier set up various pilgrim centers in many parts of the country. This made travel to these places popular then and is still so today. Kovind said India has many attractions and activities to make it an ideal destination for tourists, both domestic and foreign.
Kovind was speaking at the National Tourism Awards (NTA) function yesterday on World Tourism Day, when he presented awards to various industry people who have distinguished themselves in various ways, such as earning a foreign exchange, guiding tourists, and promoting cleanliness. The NTA is a major event of the country’s Ministry of Tourism.
K. J. Alphons, India’s Tourism Minister, listed some of the recent efforts to promote tourism and spoke of the importance of tourism in economic and other activities.
Awards were also given for responsible tourism, innovative projects, tourism films, brochures, and MICE operations, among other areas.
India is coming up with the “Incredible India 2.0” campaign and a scheme, “Adopt A Heritage,” so that tourist-friendly services can be provided at tourist sites.
It was announced at the function that the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India are also collaborating in the Adopt A Heritage scheme.