The tourism ministry is working in full swing now. Boosting domestic travels is one of the topmost priority of the Ministry of Tourism. The ministry is not just working to boost different cultures and languages within the nation, but also supports the hospitality industry, local vendors, upkeep of historic sites and much more.
Keeping the view in mind, the Centre has decided to reward those travellers who visit 15 different domestic tourist spots in a year. According to Minister of Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel, the government will sponsor their travel expenses as an incentive. The minister made the announcement at the concluding ceremony of the two-day National Tourism Conference organised by the Odisha government in association with FICCI at Konark.
It won’t be a cash prize, since the Union Minister has clearly mentioned that the move is purely an incentive. He said, “The Tourism Ministry will fund the travel expenses of tourists who visit 15 destinations in the country in a year and submit the photos to our website. However, the condition is that the person should travel out of his/her own state to be eligible for contention. We should honour these persons as brand ambassadors of Indian Tourism.”
The Ministry of Tourism has also been organising certificate programmes for candidates intending to work as tourist guides, opening up an opportunity for employment for people of all backgrounds.
Meanwhile, the Sun Temple at Konark is included in the list of ‘iconic sites’.