Safety and Security of Foreign Tourists

 The Ministry of Tourism organized a National Conference of State Tourism Ministers on 18th July, 2013 in New Delhi.  This conference was attended by the Tourism Ministers of State Governments/Union Territory Administrations along with various stakeholders related to the Tourism Industry.  

                                Discussions held in the conference were about the norms of cleanliness of various tourist places in India,  safety and security of tourist especially women tourists, seamless travel between States, interstate road taxes, completion of infrastructure projects and submission of utilisation certificates and completion certificates, timely issuance of licences to hotels, hunar-se-rozgar, making tourist destinations accessible for differently abled tourists, sustainable tourism and carrying capacity of destinations, constitution of regional promotion councils,  provision of  single window clearances for film shooting and MICE Tourism etc

                                The meeting passed the unanimous Resolution that the Departments of Tourism of all States and Union Territories will work for ensuring safety and security of the tourists especially of women tourists.  Ministry of Tourism has also launched a new campaign for the safety of women titled ‘I respect women’.

                                Prevention of crime, including crime against tourists/foreign tourists is primarily the responsibility of State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations as ‘Public Order’ and ‘Police’ are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. 

                                Ministry of Tourism has advised all the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations to deploy Tourist Police in the States/Union Territories.  The State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have deployed Tourist Police, in one form or the other.

                              In addition, the Union Ministry of Tourism along with stakeholders has adopted the ‘Code of Conduct for Safe & Honourable Tourism’, which is a set of guidelines to encourage tourism activities to be undertaken with respect for basic right like dignity, safety and freedom from exploitation of both tourists and local residents in particular, women and children.

                                An advisory has been posted on the Ministry of Tourism websitewww.incredibleindia.org  indicating that India remains a safe destination for international tourists especially women tourists.

                               The Foreign Tourists Arrivals (FTAs) to India in 2012 were 65,77,745 as compared to 63,09,222 in 2011, i.e. an increase of 4.3 percent.

      Foreign Tourists Arrivals during the period January to October, 2013 were 53.30 lakh with a growth of 4.0%, as compared to FTAs of 51.24 lakhduring corresponding period in previous year.

                                The Domestic Tourist Visits in 2012 were 1036 million as compared to 865 million in 2011, the growth rate being 19.9% (2012 over 2011). Therefore no adverse impact is obvious in the growth of foreign or domestic tourist arrivals in country. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Tourism (I/C) Shri K.Chiranjeevi in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.