Ministry of Tourism
celebrated virtual World Tourism Day today. This year United Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) has designated 2020 as the Year of Tourism and Rural Development.
This Year is an opportunity to promote the potential of tourism to create
jobs and opportunities. It can also advance inclusion and highlight the unique
role tourism can play in preserving and promoting natural and cultural heritage
and curbing urban migration.
On this occasion, Hon’ble Minister
of Tourism Shri Prahlad Singh Patel addressed the event and the chief guest for
this event was Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Petroleum and
Natural Gas. The session was opened by Secretary (Tourism) extending a
warm welcome and appreciating the awareness and proactive measures taken by all
the stakeholders during this pandemic time to work out a strategy and taking
necessary action. SAATHI Application was launched on this
occasion. SAATHI is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism with Quality
Council of India to assist the hospitality industry to instill confidence among
the Staff, employees, and the guest.
Hon’ble Minister of Tourism Shri
Prahlad Singh Patel reiterated the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of
India asking every citizen to visit at least 15
destinations by the year 2022 to promote domestic tourism. The
Ministry of Tourism has launched the Dekho Apna Desh (DAD)
initiative in January 2020 with the objective of creating awareness among the
citizens about the rich heritage and culture of the country, encouraging
citizens to travel widely within the country and enhancing tourist footfalls
leading to the development of local economy and creation of jobs at the local
level. During this pandemic, Ministry has been organizing a series of webinars
under the overall theme of DAD, showcasing the diverse culture, heritage,
destinations, and tourism products of the country. As on date, 54 webinars covering
different States/Union Territories have been organized as part of the
initiative. To create mass awareness, the Ministry has also launched an online
DAD pledge and Quiz on the MyGov.in platform. The online pledge and Quiz are
open to all for participation.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism in launching the SAATHI
application and the online learning module IITFC. He also lauded the
Ministry’s effort of showcasing our culture, heritage, lesser-known
destinations, cuisine, etc through the webinar series Dekho Apna Desh.
Talking about sustainable environment he was keen to take it further by
substituting Petrol, diesel, kerosene etc with CNG/LPG which are pollution
free. He also appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism, in launching the
Incredible India Tourist Facilitators (IITF) Certification Programme, a
Pan-India online learning program that is open to all, and can be
undertaken from anywhere in the country. The Programme aims at creating a pool
of trained professionals for facilitating the visit of tourists at destinations
across the country.
The programme will
help in enhancing the overall experience of the tourists, who would benefit
from the knowledge of the local tourist facilitators and it will also help in creating employment opportunities even in the remotest parts
of the country. A film ‘Pathik’, an initiative on IITFC was launched on
this occasion. A film by ICPB Mice Promotional film was also
launched. Joint Secretary (Tourism) concluded the session with Vote of
Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment