President Gives Away National Tourism Awards 2013-14
President
Gives Away National Tourism Awards 2013-14
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented
the National Tourism Awards 2013-14 at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan in New
Delhi today.
Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated the
award winners and said that these exceptional individuals and institutions who
have been felicitated today have distinguished themselves through their
dedication in promoting India as a tourist destination. He said that broader
social contacts between tourists and receiving communities go a long way in
enhancing mutual understanding, tolerance, and awareness between peoples. India
offers one of the best tourism experiences in the world, he added.
The President said that with the growth of the Indian
economy and the increase in disposable income of the people, we may expect
tourist inflows to remain on a positive trajectory in the years to come. We
must pay focussed attention to the building of a high quality tourism
infrastructure in the country. The launch of two initiatives - Swadesh Darshan
and PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive) - aiming
at integrated development of circuits and pilgrim centres would go a long way
in achieving this objective. He emphasized that the safety mechanisms that we
create, the precautions that we put in place must reassure our guests - so that
they never have to be apprehensive about their personal safety or that of their
belongings.
Highlighting the contribution of tourism to the
economy, the Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge),
Culture (Independent Charge), Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma said that the
country earned Rs1,23,000 Crore rupees of foreign exchange through tourism last
year . It contributes 6.8% to the GDP. Tourism, he said is an ‘Industry
of Smiles’ and the Government gives top priority to Swachhta, Suraksha
and hospitality as the 3 pillars of tourism promotion in the country.
Highlighting the recent steps taken by the Government, Dr. Mahesh Sharma said
that Welcome Booklet is being distributed at the International Airports,
giving important information including DOs and Don’ts to the
foreign travellers. Similarly, 24X7 helpline has been set up which is currently
functional in Hindi and English and will soon be functional in 12 International
languages.
Similarly, started in November last year, e-Tourist Visa
facility has been extended to 113 countries in such a short span of time. Dr.
Mahesh Sharma said that the achievementsmade by the tourism industry could not
have been possible without the contribution of the private stakeholders. The
work done by the stakeholders has not only generated revenue but also given
employment and contributed to women empowerment.
The Secretary , Tourism, Shri Vinod Zutshi
congratulated all awardees. He said that the Tourism Awards will go a
long way to catalyze & incentivize the tourism sector in India and
encourage the stakeholders to give their best performance.
The National Tourism Awards are given in several
categories including Comprehensive Development of Tourism, Best Rural Tourism
Project, Best Heritage City, Best Hotels, Awards to Inbound Tour Operators and
Travel Agents for their outstanding work, awards in the field of
publicity/promotion and overseas marketing, use of information technology for
tourism among others.
Among the important recipients of awards include the
state of Gujarat for the Best State/UT for Comprehensive Tourism Development;
Heritage City Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh as the Best Heritage City; Municipal
Council of Maheshwar (Distt.Khargone) in Madhya Pradesh for Best Civic
Management of a Tourist Destination in B Category. Gujarat has been awarded as
the Best Film Promotion Friendly State/Union territory while Deptt of Tourism,
Kerala received the award for Most Innovative use of Information
technology. “The Great backwaters of Kerala’ by Kerala Tourism has been
awarded the Best Tourism Film while the Coffee Table Book “Gujarat’s 50
Golden Destinations’ by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd got the award of
Best Tourism Promotion Publicity material.
M/s Kuoni Travel India Pvt. Ltd, Gurgaon received the
first prize for Best Inbound Tour Operators/Travel agents in the category of
earning Foreign Exchange of Rs 100 cr or more in a year, M/s Trail Blazer Tours
India Pvt was given first prize in the category of earning Foreign Exchange of
Rs 50-Rs 100 cr in a year. M/s Eco Mobility and Hospitality Pvt Ltd won the
first prize in Category I of Tourist Transport Operator, while M/s Snow Leopard
Adventure Pvt Lts, Gurgaon won the prize for Best Adventure Tour Operator.
Representatives of Tourism Departments of States / Union Territories, travel and tour operators,
hotels, travel agents, tourist transport operators, and officials of the
Ministry of Tourism were present at
the awards function today.
Background on National Tourism Awards
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The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India annually
presents National Tourism Awards to various segments of the travel, tourism
and hospitality industry. These awards are being given since the early 1990s
and are presented to State Governments / Union Territories, classified
hotels, heritage hotels, approved travel agents, tour operators and tourist
transport operators, individuals and other private organizations in
recognition of their performance in their respective fields and also to
encourage healthy competition with an aim to promote tourism. The National
Tourism Awards have over the years emerged as a prestigious recognition of
achievements in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.
Tourism is a dynamic industry and every year the
categories of awards are reviewed with new categories being added to
recognize excellence in diverse fields, in accordance with the requirements
of changing times. In the year 2010, a new category of Awards was introduced
for “Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in India”. This
award was introduced to encourage eco-friendly practices by various civic
bodies in cities / towns / villages for the maintenance and upkeep of tourist
sites / parks, etc. The objective of the Award was to proactively involve the
municipal authorities and to get their commitment towards clean, hygienic and
attractive surroundings in cities/towns/villages and to thereby enhance
visitor experience.
It is an ongoing endeavour of the Ministry to diversify
the tourism products of the country by developing and promoting new niche
segments, so as to attract different categories of tourists with diverse
interests and to promote India as a year - round destination. In keeping with
this thrust of the Ministry, new categories of awards for “Medical
Tourism Facilities” and for “Tour Operators Promoting
Niche segments” had been introduced in 2011.
New categories of awards for “Best Heritage
City” and “Best Heritage Walk” were also
introduced in 2012.
The medium of ‘Cinema’ has in recent years emerged as a
powerful tool for the development and promotion of destinations. Several
destinations have gained by being the venue / location of popular domestic
and international cinema. Recognising the importance of this medium, the
Ministry of Tourism this year has instituted a National Tourism Award for the “Most Film
Promotion Friendly State/UT”.
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Address by President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on the
occasion of the presentation of national tourism awards at Vigyan Bhavan on 18
September 2015
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am, indeed, delighted to be here today. I join you in
felicitating achievers in India’s Tourism industry. These exceptional
individuals and institutions have distinguished themselves through their
dedication in promoting India as a tourist destination. They have made
outstanding contributions to the development of our tourism sector in terms of
quality and capacity. I would like to congratulate the award winners. The
honours conferred today will, no doubt, reinforce the commitment of all the
stakeholders in the tourism sector and motivate them to work with renewed
vigour for its expansion and growth.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Tourism in our country is an agent of development and an
engine for economic growth and employment generation. Trained human resource is
an important component for the development of any sector. I am happy to know
that the Ministry of Tourism has paid attention for creating trained human
resources to meet the requirements of the tourism sector and the hospitality
industry. The Institutes of Hotel Management (IHMs), Indian Institute of
Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) and Food Craft Institutes (FCIs) provide
avenues for getting education and training to serve in the tourism sector. The
‘Hunar-se-Rozgar Tak’ scheme of the Ministry of Tourism under which training is
being provided to the youth is a laudable initiative for bringing social equity
and employment opportunities to the weaker sections of the society.
In 2014, a total 1282 million domestic visits in India were
recorded. In that year, India had 7.68 million foreign tourist arrivals
registering a growth of 10.2 percent over the previous year. However, it
comprised a mere 0.7 percent of the international tourist arrivals worldwide,
which was 1.1 billion. Hence, there is tremendous scope for a manifold rise in
tourist arrivals from abroad. The foreign exchange earnings from the tourism
sector during 2014 were Rs. 1.2 lakh crore with a growth rate of 14.5 percent.
I am glad to share with you that the implementation of e-Tourist Visa, for 113
countries, is showing excellent results. Many of the high potential countries
like USA, UK, Spain, Malaysia, Germany, etc. now have the e-Tourist Visa
facility. During January to July, 2015, close to 1.5 lakh tourists arrived on
our soil through e-Tourist Visa.
With the growth of the Indian economy and the increase in
disposable income of our people, we may expect tourist inflows to remain on a
positive trajectory in the years to come. We must pay focussed attention to the
building of a high quality tourism infrastructure in the country. The launch of
two initiatives - Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and
Spiritual Augmentation Drive) - aiming at integrated development of circuits
and pilgrim centres would go a long way in achieving this objective.
The safety mechanisms that we create, the precautions that we
put in place must reassure our guests - so that they never have to be
apprehensive about their personal safety or that of their belongings. The
Ministry of Tourism has taken the initiative to address the safety concerns of
the tourists by launching 24x7 Incredible India Helpline to provide the
tourists valuable information and to guide them during emergencies. The
‘Welcome Booklet’ being distributed at immigration counters containing
information on Dos and Don’ts for tourists would also be a helpful aid for
foreign tourists immediately on their arrival.
Inconsistent sanitation standards would, similarly, have a
negative impact. This would be unfortunate – especially at a time when our
tourism industry is projecting the unique beauty of our cultural sites, the
scenic splendour of our adventure destinations and the richness of our
architectural heritage. The Ministry of Tourism’s ‘Swach Bharat-Swach Parayatan
campaign’ to promote cleanliness and hygiene at tourist destinations is a
welcome step in the right direction. It calls for all stakeholders to work
together to achieve this goal in all aspects of the “India” experience. I would
also stress that it is essential for the Tourism Ministry to take the lead and
set the highest standards in this regard. It is equally important to develop
systems for effective monitoring to ensure that these standards are maintained
by establishments across the board.
Quicker access to distant locations, larger disposable incomes
and rising lifestyle aspirations now characterise the growing numbers of
travellers. I urge the tourism industry to consciously plan its investments in
a manner that the growth of this sector is sustained without compromising our
natural and cultural heritage. New and innovative methods should be introduced
to conserve energy and water. It should be incumbent on tourist establishments
and hospitality units to operate in a way that they are able to reduce water
and energy consumption, cut down on the generation of waste, improve waste
management and ensure creative recycling and efficient waste disposal.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Broader social contacts between tourists and receiving
communities go a long way in enhancing mutual understanding, tolerance, and
awareness between peoples. Tourism translates into closer collaboration and
cultural exchanges across the nation and with distant communities all over the
world.
India offers one of the best tourism experiences in the world
and I have no doubt that collectively we can earn India its rightful place in
the tourism map of the world.
I once again congratulate all those whose initiatives and hard
work have won recognition today. I wish all of you great success in growing and
expanding our tourism industry in the years to come.
Thank you.
JAI HIND!
National
Tourism Awards 2013-14
List
of Awardees
Planning & Coordination
Hotel &
Restaurant
Travel Trade
Publicity
Overseas Marketing
Niche Tourism
Information
Technology
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