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Laying a special emphasis on domestic tourism in her Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that all state governments will be asked to take up comprehensive development of iconic tourist centres along with branding and marketing them at a global scale. There is also a renewed focus on port connectivity and infrastructure development on islands, including Lakshadweep, Sitharaman said on Thursday.
Last month, Lakshadweep was at the centre of a diplomatic row between India and Maldives after Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted photos from his visit to the Union Territory on social media. This had agitated three Maldivian ministers, who saw it as an attempt to promote Lakshadweep as a tourism destination over Maldives, prompting a major backlash.
On the archipelago of 35 islands, Sitharaman said that the government will undertake “projects for port connectivity, tourism infrastructure, and amenities on our islands, including Lakshadweep.” This will help in generating employment in the Union Territory, she said.
The development of ports and islands is also in consonance with her opening remarks, wherein the FM spoke about “geographical inclusivity through the development of all regions of the country”. Consequently, the Ministry of Tourism’s flagship Swadesh Darshan scheme (for integrated development of tourist circuits around specific themes) has an increased outlay of Rs 1,750 crore for 2024-25, compared to Rs 818 crore in the previous year, and Rs 1,412 crore a year before that.
In a first, the FM has also announced a framework for rating iconic tourist destinations based on the quality of facilities being offered and also offering long-term interest-free loans to states for developing these destinations.
Sitharaman also spoke about the organisation of G20 meetings in 60 different places as having pitched India’s diversity to a global audience. Additionally, she said that “India’s economic strength has made the country an attractive destination for business and conference tourism”, reiterating the Ministry of Tourism’s renewed emphasis on MICE ( Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions )Tourism in recent years.
The G20 meetings, besides showcasing India’s diversity and heritage, also highlighted India’s MICE infrastructure to the world, officials say. Late last year, the ministry worked out a model for setting up a city-level MICE Promotion Bureau at important destinations for facilitating and promoting the city as a MICE destination. It also launched a dedicated brand called ‘Meet in India’ to promote India as a conference tourism destination.
The FM also spoke of the potential of spiritual tourism as a contributor towards increasing opportunities for local entrepreneurs. “Our middle class also now aspires to travel and explore. Tourism, including spiritual tourism, has tremendous opportunities for local entrepreneurship,” she said. In the first week of the opening of Ram Temple, Ayodhya clocked in 15 lakh visitors, while Varanasi and Ujjain are already figuring high on the spiritual tourism circuit.
The Ministry launched the ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) scheme in 2014-2015 to provide financial assistance to states and UTs for infrastructure development at tourist destinations. “The Ministry has sanctioned a total of 46 projects at a cost of Rs.1629.17 Crore. In addition, a total of 26 new sites have also been identified for development under the PRASHAD Scheme,” said a PIB release in December 2023.
