76 projects of Rs.5287.90 Crore under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme sanctioned to date

As 2024 draws to a close, the Ministry of Tourism reflects on a year marked by significant milestones and transformative initiatives. Here’s a glance at the Ministry’s key achievements and initiatives that defined 2024.

Infrastructure Development

Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a total of 76 projects for an amount of Rs.5287.90 Crore under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, out of which 75 projects are physically complete.

Ministry of Tourism has revamped its Swadesh Darshan Scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible destinations following a tourist & destination centric approach. 34 projects have been sanctioned for Rs.793.20 Crore under SD2.0.

Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a total of 48 projects for an amount of Rs.1646.99 Crore under the PRASHAD Scheme, out of which 23 projects have been completed.

A total of 65 projects for an amount of Rs 937.56 Crore have been sanctioned under the Assistance to Central Agencies Scheme, out of which 38 projects have been physically completed.

Ministry of Tourism has formulated guidelines for ‘Challenge Based Destination Development’ as sub scheme of Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme to enhance tourist experience across all points of the tourist value chain. Under this scheme, proposals have been invited under four thematic categories (i) Spiritual Tourism, (ii) Culture & Heritage, (iii) Vibrant Village Program, (iv) Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites. The Ministry of Tourism has selected 42 destinations under various tourism themes for development under the scheme.

As a follow up to the Budget Announcements 2024-25, a total of 40 projects across 23 States have been sanctioned for an amount of Rs. 3295.76 Crore under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) – Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale to infuse long term interest free loans for a period of 50 years to States for comprehensive development of iconic tourist centers in the country and branding & marketing them at global scale.

Promotion and Marketing

Ministry of Tourism organized “Bharat Parv” event at the Red Fort grounds, Delhi, as part of the Republic Day Celebrations from 23rd to 31st  January, 2024. Thematic Pavilions of States/ UTs were setup to showcase diverse tourist attractions of the country. Cultural performances by various regional cultural associations were also organized. The event promoted Vocal for Local, through the participation of local artisans from across the country by displaying and selling their products.

Launched ‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice 2024’ – a Nationwide poll to identify the most preferred tourist attractions under 5 categories. It is also an effort to identify attractions and destinations for development in mission mode, contributing to India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047.

Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Education is organizing a nation-wide Dekho Apna Desh Schools Contest for Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) and Navodaya Vidyalaya (NV) Schools. The students are expected to create physical brochure of their District’s tourism attractions, destinations, experiences, and other offerings. The initiative aims to make the students aware about the tourism wonders and attractions present in each district of the country.

Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign was launched to enable Indian diaspora members become Incredible India ambassadors. The campaign has been implemented in the spirit of Jan Bhagidari for an Atulya and Viksit Bharat to encourage the Indian diaspora to invite their 5 non-Indian friends to travel to India every year. One lakh free e-visas for foreign tourists visiting India under ‘Chalo India’ campaign have been announced for the remaining part of the current Financial Year.

On the occasion of the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi in July 2024, an ‘Incredible India’ exhibition was set up at Bharat Mandapam to highlight India’s rich cultural heritage, age-old civilization, geographical diversity, hidden gems in tourism along with modern developments, for the delegates. All the 36 States and Union Territories along with 10 Central Ministries & Departments, showcased their offerings in the exhibition. In addition, the Ministry also arranged heritage walks and tours for delegates in the city of Delhi.

The Vice President of India graced the World Tourism Day Celebrations, organized by the Ministry of Tourism on 27th September 2024, at New Delhi. The theme for this year’s World Tourism Day was ‘Tourism & Peace’. The event was also attended by the Union Ministers of Civil Aviation, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, Minister of State for Tourism, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ambassadors from various Foreign Missions in India, senior officials from various Ministries and Departments of Government of India, officials from State/UT Governments, travel trade and hospitality industry.

The Incredible India Content Hub was launched to provide the travel and tourism industry around the world access to high quality images, videos, and other information they might need to promote Incredible India.

Ministry of Tourism has been organizing International Tourism Mart (ITM) in the North Eastern Region to showcase the tourism potential of North Eastern States of India. The 12th edition of International Tourism Mart (ITM) was held in Kaziranga, Assam from 26th to 29th, November, 2024.

Ministry of Tourism participates in travel fairs/exhibitions held in overseas markets to showcase India’s tourism destinations and products. During this year, the Ministry of Tourism has participated in several international exhibitions including ITB Berlin, MITT Moscow, FITUR Madrid, ATM Dubai, IMEX Frankfurt, PATA Travel Mart, Japan Tourism Expo, IFTM Top Resa, WTM London, etc.

Tourism Statistics

– International Tourist Arrivals (ITAs) in India during 2023 were 18.89 Million.
– Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2023 were 9.52 Million.
– Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through tourism during 2023 were Rs.231927 Crore.
– Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) in India during 2023 were 2509 Million.

Meetings and Conferences

Ministry of Tourism organized Four Regional States/UTs Tourism Ministers Conferences from 22nd August, 2024 to 9th September, 2024 in Chandigarh, Goa, Shillong and Bangalore to ideate and discuss the vision for the tourism sector for Viksit Bharat@2047.

Sustainable Development

Ministry of Tourism launched the second edition of the Best Tourism Village Competition 2024 with the aim to acknowledge villages which best exemplify tourism destination. This competition was conducted in partnership with States, Industry and other tourism stakeholders. 36 villages were recognized as winners across 8 categories of the Best Tourism Villages competition 2024.

Skill Development

Ministry of Tourism launched a national responsible tourism initiative by the name of ‘Paryatan Mitra & Paryatan Didi’ on 27th September 2024, World Tourism Day to enable tourism as a vehicle for social inclusion, employment, and economic progress as well as to elevate the overall experience for tourists in destinations, by having them meet ‘tourist-friendly’ people who are proud Ambassadors and Storytellers for their destination.

Ministry of Tourism enabled the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between 8 leading hospitality chains and 21 Institutes of Hotel Management. This partnership aims to leverage the expertise of private hotel chains to provide students with exposure to the industry’s best practices, enhancing their employability and ensuring that tourists visiting India receive top-quality services.

Ease Of Doing Business

Ministry of Tourism has launched a handbook offering a step-by-step guide to support efforts of States/UTs in granting and implementing ‘industry status’ for the tourism and hospitality sector with the aim to attract greater investments and generate job opportunities within this sector across States/UTs.