New Delhi, March 16 (MExN): The Union Ministry of Tourism, on March 16, said that the ministry has been strongly advising “State Governments and Union Territory Administrations to grant ‘industry’ status to tourism” in their respective areas.
The advisory is given through correspondence and at various interactive sessions and meetings held with States or Union Territories at the highest level, the Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
He further agreed with a query from a member that according ‘industry’ status to tourism would help in pushing hospitality projects in the country. The ‘industry’ status to the tourism sector would make it more competitive and also lead to more sub-sectors of tourism having access to benefits including power tariff and other taxes at industrial rates against the earlier requirement of payment at much-higher commercial rates, Reddy elaborated.
This will also help to reduce costs of hospitality projects which are capital intensive and also encourage further investment, he added.
As per the Minister, eleven states have accorded ‘industry’ status to the tourism sector so far. The states are Gujarat, Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab, Goa, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura.
