Despite foreign tourist arrival figures crossing 6.58 million annually, Ministry of Tourism is upset about the negative publicity generated by assaults on foreigners.
“A few recent incidents, where foreign women tourists were sexually assaulted, have generated widespread negative publicity for India,” said K Chiranjeevi, Tourism Minister while chairing the meeting of National Tourism Advisory Council (NTAC) in the Capital on Monday.
He said safety of foreign tourists remains a matter of concern and effective steps will be taken for creating friendly atmosphere for them.
Expressing concern over the safety of tourists, he said, “As law and order is a State subject, I have written to all Chief Ministers to take effective steps to create conducive and friendly atmosphere for all tourists.”
Tourism sector in India has witnessed substantial growth in the last decade. Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2012 have reached 6.58 million. The estimated number of domestic tourist visits in 2012 was 1027 million.
“Although the growth of in-bound tourism in India has been higher than the overall growth in the world, the share of India at 0.64 per cent continues to be low. We have to strive harder to increase this share.”
Chiranjeevi was of the opinion that huge size of domestic tourism helps to sustain Indian tourism industry even when there is negative or low growth in inbound tourism. “We will, therefore, continue to promote domestic tourism also.”