Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, presenting her first-ever budget in the Lok Sabha gave a boost to the tourism sector. During the speech, she said the government will build and develop 17 iconic sites into world-class destinations to encourage the arrival of tourists in India.
A tourism Boost
Earlier, in an economic survey, it was stressed that there was a need to strengthen the coordination of various ministries and stakeholders to resolve issues in the promotion of tourism in the country. The state government needed to concentrate on tourism because it was a major driver of employment and poverty alleviation in India. Highlighting a sharp slowdown in the tourism sector in 2018, the survey stated that the foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in 2018-19 stood at 10.6 million compared with 10.4 million in 2017-18.
“Around 17 iconic tourism sites are being developed as world-class destinations and the digital repository is proposed for preserving tribal history,” said Sitharaman.
She said a digital tribal repository will be created, in which photos, videos, details of origin, education, lifestyle, skill sets, traditional arts, and other anthropological information will be stored.
“One hundred new clusters will be set up in 2019-20 to enable 50,000 artisans and creative to come into the economic value chain,” she added.
Here’s the list of 17 iconic sites that will be developed as world-class destinations:
- TajMahal, UP
- Fatehpur Sikri, UP
- Ajanta, Maharashtra
- Ellora, Maharashtra
- Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi
- Red Fort, New Delhi
- Qutub Minar, New Delhi
- Colva beach, Goa
- Amer Fort, Rajasthan
- Somnath, Gujarat
- Dholavira, Gujarat
- Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
- Hampi, Karnataka
- Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
- Kaziranga, Assam
- Kumarakom, Kerala and
- Mahabodhi, Bihar
These projects fall under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and State Archaeology Departments. The Ministry will carry out development plans, which will have elements of universal accessibility, cleanliness at the monuments, use of Green Technology and enhanced security for the tourists.
