It is time for the travel enthusiasts to tick all the places in their bucket list! The central government has decided to reward the travellers who will visit 15 Indian tourist destinations in a year by funding their expenses.
Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel while announcing the decision, however, clarified that the move should not be considered as a monetary benefit but as an incentive.
‘The tourism ministry will fund the travel expenses of tourists who visit 15 destinations in the country in a year and submit the photos on our website,’ the minister said on Friday evening at the concluding ceremony of the two-day National Tourism Conference in Odisha’s Konark.
Thanks to all the citizens for the overwhelming response in the last two days! We shall keep adding interesting trivia on ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign.Happy Republic Day 2020!#DekhoApnaDesh #EkBharatShreshthaBharat pic.twitter.com/nNSIsV0cMk
â Ministry of Tourism (@tourismgoi) January 26, 2020
First, the travellers have to visit pledge.mygov.in, and then upload photos on the website after visiting any 15 tourist locations in a year. However, the tourists will have to travel outside their home states to stand eligible for the incentive. The travellers will receive a certificate via mobile text or e-mail later.
Patel added that those completing the task should be honoured as brand ambassadors of Indian Tourism. Under the ‘Paryatan Parv’ initiative, the government will reward people travelling at least 15 tourist destinations of India by 2022. The ministry of tourism will reward the tourist who will complete the task within a year.
The Union Tourism Minister informed that the Sun Temple at Konark would be included in the list of ‘iconic sites’ and a special event will be organised very soon to announce this inclusion.
Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General of Tourism, said the ministry in an attempt to promote domestic tourism had been organising certificate programmes for candidates who intend to work as tourist guides. She was quick to point out the low participation of Odisha in this programme and said that it needs to be enhanced.
A Memorandum of Intent was signed between Odisha and Gujarat for cross-promotion of tourist sites on the concluding day of the conference which was jointly organised by the Odisha government and the FICCI.
A Memorandum of Understanding mentioning the key frameworks and policies, will be signed soon after discussions with relevant departments of both the states, said Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Director of Tourism, Odisha.
Also Read: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Declares Statue of Unity As Eighth Wonder Of World
