On World Tourism Day today, the Union ministry of tourism has launched Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi, responsible tourism initiatives in 50 places across the country, including two tourism destinations in West Bengal, Kolkata and Darjeeling.
Through this initiative, the ministry aims to elevate the overall experience for tourists, by having them meet ‘tourist-friendly’ people, who are proud ambassadors and storytellers. This is being done by providing tourism related training and awareness to all individuals, who interact and engage with tourists in a destination.
Through Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi, special emphasis is being placed on the training of women and youth to enable them to develop new tourism products & experiences like heritage walks, food tours, craft tours, nature treks, homestay experiences, and other innovative tourism products based on the potential of the destination. It is also envisioned that locals leverage these skills to obtain gainful employment going forward as homestay owners, food & cuisine experience providers, cultural guides, natural guides, adventure guides, and other roles in tourism.
Tourism-specific training is being followed by general training in digital literacy and digital tools to ensure that the experiences they create are discoverable and visible to tourists, nationally and globally. Since the pilot programme on 15 August, around 3,000 people have been trained in the six pilot destinations on the importance of creating a positive experience for tourists, thereby being a Paryatan Mitra.
The six tourist destinations across India are Orchha (Madhya Pradesh), Gandikota (Andhra Pradesh), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Aizawl (Mizoram), Jodhpur (Rajasthan) and Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman & Nicobar Islands).