The Government has take a number of long term measures have been taken to promote tourism, which include:

• Positioning and maintaining tourism development as a National priority activity.
• Enhancing and maintaining the competitiveness of India as a tourism destination.
• Improving India’s existing tourism products and expanding these to meet new market requirements.
• Creation of world-class infrastructure.
• Special thrust to rural and small segment tourism.
• Attention to civilization issues and issues pertaining to civic administration, good governance and also of social and cultural values.
• Development of integrated tourism circuits.

The leading travel magazine ‘Conde Nast Traveller’ in its Readers Awards has selected India as one of the top 6 favourite destinations of the world for discerning travelers.  The ‘Lonely Planet’, in its survey conducted in 134 countries, selected India amongst the top 5 favourite international destinations.    This was stated by the Minister of State for Tourism Smt. Renuka Chowdhury in reply to a question by Shri K. Rama Mohana Rao in Rajya Sabha today.

            She further stated that these offices are effectively performing the required functions of promoting and marketing India as a tourist destination in the overseas markets through a range of promotional activities, which have resulted in greater visibility of the Indian tourism products in overseas markets and an increase in foreign tourist arrivals and foreign exchange earnings in the country.

 NCJ/DT