India wins Global Praise at United Nations: Nachiket Joshi

India wins Global Praise at United Nations: Nachiket Joshi

New York, May 4th, 2023: Nachiket Joshi, Director at Global Vision India Foundation, was invited as an intervention speaker by the United Nations to participate in the 8th Annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum) held in United Nations Headquarters, New York, USA from May 02- 05, 2023. During the forum, Mr Joshi delivered a speech on ‘The importance of strengthening trust in science and technology for accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)’, on May 03, 2023.

As part of his speech, Mr. Joshi highlighted the key steps taken by India under the leadership of honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to overcome the challenges and build trust in science and technology. Further, He also emphasised the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to ensure that the public has access to reliable and accurate information about the pandemic and its impact.

“A comprehensive science communication strategy was built to promote public understanding and trust in science and technology through various media and social media networks. “Mann Ki Baat”, a platform to facilitate a direct connection between the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of republic India which recently completed its 100th episode and was broadcasted live in the UN headquarters, was used to communicate to the mass population about the ongoing scientific research during and after the pandemic, that has already drawn the attention of remote areas of nation and worldwide as well. India developed vaccines and distributed them in a transparent and evidence-based manner with necessary data shared publicly to ensure trust in the vaccines.”, said Nachiket Joshi.

Apart from the speech, while interacting with delegates representing different countries & organisations, Mr. Joshi shared success story of India’s Vaccination programme under the leadership of honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He mentioned that it is one of the most successful campaigns and has garnered world attention. The government started providing the vaccines from 20 January 2021. As of January 2023, India has helped almost 150 nations with the Covid vaccine. India had delivered around 282 million vaccine doses so far worldwide and within India, 2.2 billion doses have been given to the people of India.

Nachiket Joshi is a Social Entrepreneur, Environmentalist and renowned Author. He is the Director of Global Vision India Foundation. His experience ranges in multiple areas including National and International Development, Sustainable Development Goals, Digital Transformation, Human Rights, Leadership Skills, Intercultural harmony, Gender Equality and Entrepreneurship. He has extensive experience in policy advocacy and facilitating sessions. He has been actively involved in the development of innovative solutions to address the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The United Nations has been actively engaged in the fight against the pandemic and has been working to ensure that the public is informed and empowered to make right decisions. Mr Joshi’s participation in this event is a testament to the importance of strengthening trust in science and technology for accelerating the recovery from the pandemic.

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India to develop 50 new tourism destinations and 59 new routes under UDAAN to promote tourism in India

India to develop 50 new tourism destinations and 59 new routes under UDAAN to promote tourism in India

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in association of department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan has organized G20 Tourism Expo in Jaipur from 23rd to 25th April 2023.

In line with India’s G20 Presidency coinciding with celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Amrit Kaal, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is attempting to develop India’s Tourism Sector on a mission mode under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Elaborating the same, Shri Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India 0n April 24, said that India plans to develop 50 new tourism destinations across the country and envisages making 59 new air routes operational to boost tourism in the country.

Speaking during inaugural session of G20 Tourism Expo organized by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India along with FICCI and Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, Shri Arvind Singh said, “Amidst India’s G20 Presidency, India’s Tourism sector is showing one of the strongest recoveries in the Asia Pacific region. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, India registered 6.19 million foreign Tourists arrivals in 2022 registering a growth of 305% as compared to 1.52 million in 2021. To promote tourism further, we plan to promote Green Tourism and open 50 new Tourism destinations and launch publicity in overseas market.”

The Ministry of Tourism has already organized two G20- Tourism working Group Meetings and is exploring promotion of Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skill development, promotion of MSMEs and Destination Management. Besides, the Government is also focusing on robust infrastructure development. “We are taking a 360-degree view of developing the Tourism infrastructure with focus on enhancing rail, road, and Air connectivity. We have recommended 59 new routes to the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the Udaan Scheme, which is very successful and out of these 51 Tourism routes have already been operationalized,” said Shri Singh while highlighting the initiatives taken for the deepening of the tourism sector in the country.

Mr. Vishwendra Singh, Minister of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan On April 24, informed that the state government plans to revive 23 old air-strips spread all over Rajasthan which will give boost to tourism sector in the state. Delivering his inaugural address at G20 Tourism Expo, Shri Vishwendra Singh said, “ Under our newly introduced Rural Tourism policy, we are going to re-develop 23 air-strips with private sector support. This will provide a big impetus to tourism in Rajasthan, especially in rural areas and create humongous employment opportunities.”

“Rajasthan has also formed a path-breaking Rural Tourism policy which other states should emulate. The policy is expected to boost wildlife tourism, cultural and religious tourism across the state,” said Shri Vishwendra Singh. Enumerating the initiatives taken by Rajasthan Government, Smt. Gayatri Rathore, Principal Secretary – Tourism, Art & Culture, Government of Rajasthan said, “Rajasthan is home to about 75% of heritage properties in India, many of which have been renovated and restored through public private partnership and are now being used for royal-weddings and film shoots. Our department has recently formulated Rural Tourism Scheme to promote Tourism in rural Rajasthan and create employment opportunity.”

Welcoming the delegates and dignitaries Shri Dipak Deva, Chairperson, Tourism & Culture Committee of FICCI said, “The recovery of tourism worldwide has been phenomenon and India is leading from the front. We hope to keep the momentum aiming at 11 million FTAs. India’s G20 Presidency will add strength to India’s drive”.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Past President, FICCI & CMD of The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group said, “India’s G20 Presidency is an incredible opportunity of not only to host meetings, but also a fantastic platform to showcase India’s diverse culture, cuisine, heritage and its treasure of tourism destinations. It is also a great opportunity for tourism industry to showcase itself.”

During the inaugural of G20 Tourism Expo, several dignitaries, including Ambassador of Republic of South Korea to India His Excellency Mr. Chang Jae-bok were present. Attended by the stalwarts of tourism, travel and hospitality sector of India, the event will witness some of the leading names of governance, policy making and industry coming together on one platform to deliberate on the future of India’s travel and tourism industry.

The G20 Tourism Expo is being organized simultaneously with the 12th edition of Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB). GITB, one of the biggest events of inbound tourism in India, is co-organized by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India along with Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The special G20 Tourism Expo will include panel discussions, ambassadors’ roundtable, cultural eventing, game of golf and other programmes.

Being held after a gap of three years, GITB will witness over 11,000 B2B meetings of 283 tour operators from 56 countries, including 150+ from G20 countries, with the representatives of Tourism Boards from 11 states namely – Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, apart from Rajasthan along with more than 290 Indian Exhibitors.

The premier tourism event is supported by leading national and regional associations like Hotel & Restaurant Association of Rajasthan (HRAR), Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) and Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO). The first edition of the GITB was held in 2008 and since then has grown from strength to strength and is considered a force to recon within inbound travel mart of India.

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses post-budget webinar on “Developing Tourism in Mission Mode’

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses post-budget webinar on “Developing Tourism in Mission Mode’

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, On March 3, addressed the post-budget webinar on “Developing Tourism in Mission Mode’, organized by Ministry of Tourism. This is a series of post-budget webinars being organized by the Government with an aim to brainstorm ideas for effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Union Budget-2023.

In his address, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi  said that tourism has always been a part of our social and cultural civilization. India`s tourism comprises of multiple  aspects and can be promoted as coastal tourism, wildlife tourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism, beach, mangrove, Himalayan, spiritual tourism and others. This year`s Budget prioritizes the development of tourist destination in a holistic manner and it aims to develop at least 50 tourism destinations which can then be promoted globally. He stated that with the development of tourist amenities at destinations, the tourism sector will definitely flourish. As an example, with the reconstruction of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple corrido, 7 crore tourists have visited the city. Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Kedarnath Dham are live models highlighting the fact that ease of travelling encourages increased tourist footfall. Further technological advances and digitalization with better infrastructure and cleanliness will help to boost tourism. Apps for tourists and digital connectivity can be modernized to make it accessible to all tourists. There has been an increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting India. With a proper strategy to promote India globally, the footfall is also bound to increase substantially. The Union Budget 2023-24 has allocated an amount of Rs 2400 crores to the Ministry of Tourism.

Prime Minister described Destination Weddings as an upcoming niche and emerging sector which had the potential for increasing tourism. The exchange of intercultural wedding rituals amongst the States can boost the sector further. Further events like global Conferences and sporting events has the potential to create stupendous level of infrastructure. He cited the example of the recent FIFA World Cup 2022, which benefitted Qatar`s economy massively.

The Post Budget Webinar had 6 breakout sessions deliberating on Destination Centric Approach for Tourism Development, Convergence – The Power of Collaboration, Strengthening Public Private Participation in Tourism Sector, Driving Innovation and Digitalization in Tourism Sector, Impacting lives at grass root level through Tourism and Cultural Heritage for Promotion of Tourism. The sessions saw active participation from different panelists from State, Central Ministries as well as Industry associations, District administrations, local bodies, experts in the field of tourism and hospitality, Invest India etc.

Speaking at the concluding session, Minister of Tourism, Shri G. Kishan Reddy thanked Prime Minister for showing the path for developing tourism sector in mission mode as well as all the panelists and speakers for their suggestion and ideas to overcome the challenges and move towards implementation of the budget announcements.  He stated that the biggest employment generating sector could very well be the tourism sector after textiles industry. Government of India, state governments, private stakeholders and civil society should closely work together to promote the tourism industry of the country. This sector is one of the sectors to generate maximum employment with the least capital investment, he said.

Secretary Tourism, Shri Arvind Singh on the occasion said that this year’s budget has given us new vision for tourism development and it focuses on promotion of tourism in mission mode, with active participation of states, convergence of government programmes and public-private partnerships. He also said that the budget proposes facilitation of tourism infrastructure and amenities in border villages under the Vibrant Village programmes and encourages setting up a Unity Mall in the state capital or most prominent tourism center or the financial capital for promotion and sale of their own ODOPs (one district, one product), GI products and other handicraft products, and for providing space for such products of all other States.

Shri Arvind Singh highlighted the fact that this year’s budget advocates a shift from department centric and scheme centric approach to a destination centric approach for planning, development and management of tourism

On the occasion Secretary Culture, Shri Govind Mohan said that the Ministry of Culture has the basic objective of preserving, disseminating and also promoting Indian Culture and Indian culture is a very rich repository of ideas, of places, of facets of our heritage, of performing arts, visual arts, monuments which are of immense interests to the tourists not only within India but also abroad.

He also informed that to begin with the Ministry of Culture will develop 5 big cultural spaces in India and going forward more spaces will be developed. These are the places where the tourists will be exposed to the best of Indian music, dance performances, book reading, painting competitions, quizzing competitions and other cultural activities in the integrated fashion.

Secretary Culture also highlighted the importance of technology and said that using AI, VR and other digital techniques the monuments can be developed as more interesting places for the younger generation. He also said that PPP’s have the potential creating value around these monuments and make them living example of wealth and beauty India offers.

A number of suggestions and ideations emanated from the deliberations, which are broadly as follows :-

  1. Planning of the destinations is crucial for the development of the destinations. The model on the lines of Ekta Nagar needs to be replicated.
  2. Destination Management is important which should be done taking into account the government agencies, private partners and local communities.
  3. It is important to device a mechanism which institutionalizes an enabling framework for promoting public private partnership in the tourism and hospitality sector.
  4. Expeditious role of national digital tourism mission which can provide a similar tourism interface between tourism stakeholders and services to the tourists. Convergence of skilling, capacity building and enterprises development at the destination for various cutting edge job opportunities in tourism and hospitality sectors.
  5. Promoting ease of doing business particularly for hospitality sector which is to take various promotions from multiple departments and agencies from the government. Visitor management system should be in place to manage over crowing at the destinations. There is a need to introduce courses of skilling of tour guides across the country and at all the destinations.
  6. India has innumerable heritage monuments which can attract domestic and foreign tourists provided they have quality tourist amenities and tourist experiences. Specific schemes should be introduced for such tourism centric development at these heritage sites.

Link of the webinar : https://youtube.com/live/cOYm5okQjp0?feature=share