Vision for the industry
With the Tourism Policy at a fairly advanced stage, Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, says the ministry is also forming an advisory committee.
The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has been working relentlessly to focus on improving the inbound figures for the country. Recently on the sidelines of Kerala Travel Mart, Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, talked about the ministry’s various initiatives. While the initiatives are being undertaken and the MOT has been aggressively promoting the country, everyone in the industry is waiting patiently for the Tourism Policy. When asked about the status of the policy, Billa says, “The Tourism Policy is at a fairly advanced stage, it has been concurred to by all the ministries. It's been to the Prime Minister's office and they've approved it too, now we are just waiting for the formal process of placing it before the Cabinet for formal approval. It’s a process determined by the cabinet it’s the prerogative of the Cabinet Secretary on when he chooses to place it before them.”
Asked if the ministry is also forming an advisory committee to promote tourism, Billa quips, “There is an advisory committee that we are forming which comprises most of the stakeholders from the industry, from the non-governmental organisations and think tanks. The idea is to have a robust think tank which will advise the government and the industry on what it is that we need to be doing and to set the vision. There is a 20-member strong list but they're fairly eminent people in their fields.” When asked if the various heads of travel and tourism associations will also be a part of the exercise, Billa replies in the affirmative.
A regular at the Kerala Travel Mart, Billa observes, “KTM is getting bigger and better, the 9th edition is looking much stronger than the 8th. The important thing is that the mart is able to create a platform for small players to come and showcase their products here. So, here you have homestays and single houseboat owners, who are able to come and access some of the biggest buyers in the world, in this way the mart is doing immense service to small players.”
Billa also lauded the recently-concluded programmes of the ministry like the Incredible India Tourism Investors' Summit 2016 , which he dubs as a ‘huge success’ and informs further that it’ll now be an annual event. “The IITIS was far beyond our expectations, we had over 2000 delegates, we signed MoUs worth ` 15,000 crore and projects worth over ` 50,000 crore investment into India. The event has gained a tremendous amount of traction. We will do it every year, and next year we’ll most likely host it in September.”