In tandem with Tourism, Railways eyes big bucks with packages

Sensing a great business opportunity in synergising their resources, the ministries of Railways and Tourism have decided to join forces to jointly market major tourist destinations in the country through appropriate packages.

Sensing a great business opportunity in synergising their resources, the ministries of Railways and Tourism have decided to join forces to jointly market major tourist destinations in the country through appropriate packages.

In a bid to strengthen this new-found camaraderie, overseas offices of the Tourism Ministry will devise special plans to promote India’s tourist trains, particularly the Mahaparinirvana Buddhist Circuit train. In return, the Railway Ministry is all set to extend the advance booking period for train tickets from the present 60 days to 90 days, following a request from the Tourism Ministry.

While the Tourism Ministry’s rationale for this extension is based on the belief that giving more time to customers would, in turn, mean more customers, the Railways has found the idea appealing since it would get them more advance money. Struggling to achieve the target of having a fund-balance of Rs 20,000 crore by the end of the fiscal set by none other than Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Railways is eyeing a huge opportunity in earning a few thousand crores of rupees before March 31 and showing them on their balance-sheet.

Story continues below this ad

That’s not all. Sporting Tourism Ministry’s “Incredible India” logo, many trains on the Indian Railways network would soon narrate the cultural stories of the regions they travel through.

Informed sources in the Tourism Ministry said the ministry was planning to spend money to the tune of Rs 100 crore on incorporating the tourism angle on trains through publicity material and refurbishing. Apart from new trains like the Punjab Palace on Wheels, existing “Bharat Darshan” trains will also carry the tourism logo.

Further, it has been agreed that the Tourism Ministry and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will now work in close tandem to jointly promote all tourist trains on the Indian Railways network.

Disquiet in film board: ‘Censorship raj’, no meeting in 6 years, no reports, term lapsed

40 min ago

A controversial decision-making process has set off divisions within the CBFC, and cast a long regulatory shadow on the Indian film industry as it aspires to be a global player. The Indian Express spoke to several top filmmakers and board members to find that a not-so-silent storm is brewing within the fraternity — and inside the CBFC, too — over what many call a “one-man show”.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS