State Tourism Ministers meeting next month,to take steps for safety of tourists

Tourism Ministry is worried about the negative fallout of the crimes against foreigners in the country recently and is planning to take steps in consultation with states to ensure their safety in future. Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi will convene a meeting with state Tourism Ministers early next month to coordinate steps in this connection. “There have been certain sad incidents which are unfortunate and not good for the country. It hampers the growth of tourism,” Chiranjeevi told PTI here.

Acknowledging that such incidents can have negative fallout on tourism,he said,”We are convening a meeting of Tourism Ministers of all states early next month to discuss ways to ensure safety and security of tourists.” The decision to discuss steps for safety of tourists comes against the backdrop of sporadic incidents of crime against foreign tourists in the country relating to harassment and assault. A foreign tourist was raped and killed in Madhya Pradesh in March while another had to jump from the first floor of a hotel in Agra to escape sexual assault.

Chiranjeevi said such incidents could hurt the growth of tourism which has a huge potential otherwise. He said growth of this sector can be crucial for eradication of poverty as it leads to job creation in a major way. Highlighting the employment generating capacity of the sector,he said,”One job is being created on every 30 foreign tourists visiting the country.”