Centre to fund travel expenses of Indians who travel to 15 tourist destinations by 2022

In a bid to boost tourism, the Centre has announced a reward for people visiting 15 tourist spots till 2022. As a reward, the government would fund the expenses of those who travel to at least 15 locations.

The Ministry of Tourism has launched the programme called ‘Dekho Apna Desh’. Details of the programme have been put up on the website, where Indians can pledge to travel at least 15 tourist locations across the country by 2022. 

"The tourism ministry will fund the travel expenses of tourists who visit 15 destinations in the country in a year and submit the photos on our website," said Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Tourism Minister, on January 24  at the concluding ceremony of the two-day National Tourism Conference in Odisha's Konark.

These travellers need to first pledge, and then upload photos on the website after visiting any 15 tourist locations in a year. One needs to travel outside their home state to be eligible for the contention. However, these expenses should be not construed as a monetary benefit, but as an incentive.

Come let's be a part of our Prime Minister's vision of '#DekhoApnaDesh' & take a pledge to visit at least 15 destinations by 2022 and dive deeper into India's art,culture,history & heritage.

Take a pledge : https://t.co/S6P8fxfome#EkBharatShreshthaBharat #IncredibleIndia (2/2) pic.twitter.com/MQvmM6cLCf

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— Ministry of Tourism (@tourismgoi) January 24, 2020

The minister said the Sun Temple at Konark would be included in the list of ‘iconic sites’.

Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General of Tourism, said the ministry had been organising certificate programmes for candidates intending to work as tourist guides. “But participation of Odisha in this programme is very low and it needs to be enhanced. The state government should encourage students to take part in the certificate course,” she said.

On the concluding day of the conference, jointly organised by the Odisha government and FICCI, a memorandum of intent was signed between the state and Gujarat for cross-promotion of tourist sites, officials said. 

A memorandum of understanding, mentioning the key frameworks and policies, would be signed soon after discussions with relevant departments of both the states, said Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Director of Tourism, Odisha.

(with inputs from PTI)