The right messaging for FTAs

We are working on our international messaging and we are going to discuss that with the industry soon. While domestic tourism is important, international tourism is more so as that brings us foreign exchange. There is so much that India has to offer. Right now, the issue is not just messaging, but also border rigidity and visa regulations. We are working with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare so that the moment other countries are ready to send their people, we are ready to welcome them. The other part is dealing with the policy-level issues. We cannot be open to all countries at the same time. The messaging must be about the experiences and about longer duration travel. old notes. Around 45 years ago, roughly when the Mohammad Yunus Committee was set up, some important suggestions were made at that stage, one of which actually fructified— creation of the Tourism Finance Corporation of India because the then leaders of our industry felt the need for a nodal body that

– Meenakshi Sharma

national tourism board. It’s been roughly over 40 years and we are still talking about it. However, it’s never too late,” he insists.

Praising the MOT, he said, “The Ministry has also evolved the way it functions over the years. The good part is that over the last decade, we have seen some very good interactions with them. There is a transformation in the way the MOT used to run earlier and the way it runs now— it’s very participative. While the participation is good, there is a lot of feedback with regards to the process of getting consultations, reviews, etc. However, a lot of this does not get into what is called an empowered group of people who work together. It can be called a board, a council, or something else. For example, Invest India is one of the initiatives of the current government, which is an autonomous body looking at investments in India,