Arun Jaitley, Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs inaugurated the “Incredible India Tourism Investors Summit (IITIS)-2016” organized by Ministry of Tourism in the presence of Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism & Culture here yesterday. Ashok Gajapati Raju, Minister for Civil Aviation, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Chaudhary, Minister of State for Science & Technology and P.K. Sinha, Cabinet Secretary and many dignitaries graced the occasion. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s A/V message was read by Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Tourism, a Film on “Investments in Tourism Sector in India” was shown and a Compendium on Indian Tourism sector was released by Arun Jaitley on the occasion.
Jaitley in his inaugural address said that there are so many unexplored tourist destinations in our country to showcase them to the World. We need to market our monuments and heritage sites for promoting Tourism and Ministry of Culture can jointly work with Ministry of Tourism in this regard. He opined that a Business Model should be developed for promoting Hotel and Hospitality industry which has to adjust to the capacity of the market. He said that now in our country, air connectivity has been substantially improved to many tourist destinations and conditions of airports have also improved and many new airports are coming up in near future. We have fastest growing national highways networks. Railways infrastructure and passenger amenities have also improved and our railway stations will be developed at par with our airports. He wished the Summit a grand success.
Delivering theme address, Sharma said that the Tourism sector has been identified as a priority area and we have to harness our tourism potential. All stakeholders are committed to raise tourism sector to a newer height. Our government has come up with new ideas to develop our tourism sector. Our prime focus is on cleanliness, connectivity and security. He hoped that the deliberations in this 3 days Summit will definitely help in promoting investment in tourism sector.
Naidu in his special address expressed his concern that many small countries attract more tourists whereas India could not do so. He hoped that tourism sector in our country will not only survive but is going to do very well in future. He said that the Tourism sector contribute very much in service sector. Indian Cuisines and Culture are unique in the world. He called upon investors to invest in tourism sector as it will give returns in a big manner.
Delivering Keynote address, Sinha said that so much more needs to be done to improve tourism sector in our country. He emphasized on the need of safety and security of tourists. It is the right time for the entrepreneurs to invest in tourism sector, he said.
IITIS is a platform for domestic and international investors to meet project owners from across Indian states and the private sector. Highlights of this summit are State Presentations encompassing all investible Properties, Session on Why Invest in India, MSME in tourism sector, Panel discussions on core infrastructure for tourism, Session on Start-ups, digital India, Investing into Swadesh Darshan, PRASAD, MICE and Niche Tourism Products, B2B meetings and signing of MoUs. It has dedicated space for Seminars, Business to Business meetings and Roundtables around focus themes.
Over 1800 delegates from – Private sector Project Owners; Banks and Financial Institutions; Business Developers; Cruise Liners; Domestic Investors; Entertainment Companies; Indian States with Ready Investible Projects; State Governments of Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Andaman & Nicobar, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh; Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa and Assam; Union Territory Administrations; Global Investors; Helicopter Services; Hoteliers; Infrastructure Developers; International Associations; Restaurateur; Spa and Yaga Centres; Tour and Travel Operators; Urban Develops and Venture Capitalists are participating in the Summit.
The Key Highlights of the Summit are- Participation from 29 Indian States and UTs; Around 700 investable projects from across the country and from across various sectors of tourism; Total participation of more than 1800 registered delegates; Participation from 250 National and International investors; Key Policy Makers from Central and State Government; Welcome Diner & Cultural Evening and 23 seminars across the two days event.
The Confederation of Indian Industry and Tourism Finance Corporation of India Ltd are principal partners of this summit. Four Knowledge Partners i.e. Ernst & Young, KPMG, Yes Bank and Invest India will assist States and UTs for identifying projects, Suggesting Tourism Policy updates and presenting these to the potential investors during the summit.
