Chiranjeevi Inaugurates India Pavilion at ITB Berlin

Union Tourism Minister Shri K Chiranjeevi has said that a proposal to extend visa on arrival facility to the tourists from Germany is under active consideration of the Government of the India. Inaugurating India pavilion at International Tourism Bourse (ITB) at Berlin, Germany today he said “Germany is an important source market for India. During the year 2011, over 240 thousand German tourists visited India and we are looking forward to further increasing the tourist traffic between the two countries.” The Minister said, the foreign tourist arrivals to India constitute only 0.64% of the World Tourist Arrivals and foreign exchange earnings account for 1.61% of the World Tourism Receipts. He said, “This is a matter of concern for all of us in the Ministry. Our endeavour is to increase India’s share to 1% of the World Tourist Arrivals by 2016”. Shri Chiranjeevi said today India has evolved itself as a round the year destination. He said, “Our effort is to consolidate on our well developed cultural and heritage products and develop new niche products like rural tourism; wellness and medical tourism; adventure and wildlife tourism; film tourism; monsoon tourism; golf, polo and sports tourism and MICE tourism.” The tourism Minister said, while being committed to the growth of tourism, we are aware about the issues of cleanliness, hygiene and sustainability. The Ministry of Tourism has launched a ‘Campaign Clean India’ to sensitize the masses about keeping Indian destinations clean. The Minister is on a Five day visit to Germany. During his stay he will have extensive meetings with Tour and Travel operators, Travel writers and other stakeholders during his five days stay in Germany. The ITB is one of the premier international travel related events, which provides an effective platform for networking and meetings with executives and leaders from all segments of the Tourism Industry worldwide. ITB is one of the largest international events in which the Ministry of Tourism participates on a very large scale. This year too, an area of 870 sq. mtrs. has been taken for the India Pavilion. The theme of the creative’s being used in the India Pavilion at ITB Berlin 2013 is “Find what you Seek” which highlights the fact that India as a tourist destination has something to offer for everybody. “Find What You Seek” is the second phase of the Incredible India campaign. A total of 58 participants from India are attending ITB. These include 12 State Governments and 46 Travel Agents / Tour Operators / Hotels / Airlines. The States of Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal will be represented by their Tourism Ministers at ITB Berlin 2013. As in previous years, complementary space is being provided to the North-Eastern states within India Pavilion for showcasing their tourism potential. The expectation from this event is to see that our partners get enough business in getting tourists from various parts of the world to India.