A ministry is a high governmental organisation, headed by a minister, that is meant to manage a

specific sector of public administration

Ministries are usually immediate subdivisions of the cabinet (the executive branch of the

government), and subordinate to its chief executive who is called prime minister, chief
minister, president, minister-president, or (federal) chancellor.

The Ministry of Tourism, is the nodal agency for the formulation of

national policies and programs and for the co-ordination of activities of
various Central Government Agencies, State Governments/UTs and the
Private Sector for the development and promotion of tourism in the
country.This Ministry is headed by the Union Minister of State for
Tourism (Independent Charge).
The administrative head of the Ministry is the Secretary (Tourism). The
office of the Director General of Tourism {now merged with the office of
Secretary (Tourism)} provides executive directions for the
implementation of various policies and programs. Directorate General of
Tourism has a field formation of 20 offices within the country and has 8
offices abroad and one sub-ordinate office/project i.e. Indian Institute of
Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM)/ Gulmarg Winter Sports Project. The
overseas offices are primarily responsible for tourism promotion and
marketing in their respective areas and the field offices in India are
responsible for providing information service to tourists and to monitor
the progress of field projects.The activities of IISM/GWSP have now
been revived and various Ski and other courses are being conducted in
the J&K valley.
The Ministry of Tourism has under its charge a public sector
undertaking, the India Tourism Development Corporation and the
following autonomous institutions:
 ndian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) and National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS)
 National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) and the Institutes of Hotel Management.

Role and Functions of the Ministry of Tourism

The Ministry of Tourism functions as the nodal agency for the
development of tourism in the country. It plays a crucial role in
 coordinating and supplementing the efforts of the State/Union Territory
Governments, catalyzing private investment, strengthening promotional
and marketing efforts and in providing trained manpower resources. The
functions of the Ministry in this regard mainly consist of the following:
All Policy Matters, including:
 Development Policies.
 Incentives.
 External Assistance.

 Manpower Development.
 Promotion & Marketing.
 Investment Facilitation.

 
 
            
Planning.
Co-ordination with other Ministries, Departments,
State/UT Governments.
Regulation:
 Standards.

 Guidelines

 
            
Infrastructure & Product Development.
 Guidelines

 
            
Human Resource Development
 Institutions.
 Setting Standards and Guidelines.

 
            
Publicity & Marketing:
 Policy.

 Strategies.

 Co-ordination.

 
Research, Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluation
International Co-operation and External Assistance
 International Bodies.
 Bilateral Agreements.

 External Assistance.
 Foreign Technical Collaboration

            
 
Legislation and Parliamentary Work
Establishment matters.
Vigilance matters.
Implementation of official language policy.
Budget co-ordination and related matters.
Plan-coordination and monitoring.
The Functions of Attached Office viz. Directorate General of Tourism are as under [The office of DG (T) has now been merged with the office
of Secretary (Tourism)]:

 
Assistance in the formulation of policies by providing feedback from the field
offices.
Monitoring of Plan Projects and assisting in the Plan formulation
Coordinating the activities of field offices and their supervision.
 Regulation:

 Approval and classification of hotels and restaurants.

 Approval of travel agents, Inbound tour operators and tourist transport operators, etc.

Inspection & Quality Control

 Guide service
 Complaints and redressal.

Infrastructure Development:

 Release of incentives.
 Tourist facilitation and information.
 Field publicity, promotion & marketing.
 Hospitality programs.
 Conventions & conferences.

Assistance for Parliamentary work.

Establishment matters of Directorate General of Tourism

History[edit]
The potential for tourism in India was first recognized with the setting up of a Tourist Traffic
Committee, an ad-hoc body, in 1948, to suggest ways and means to promote tourism in India.
Based on its recommendations, a tourist traffic branch was set up the following year, with regional
offices in Delhi and Mumbai, and in 1951, in Kolkata and Chennai. A separate department of tourism
under the government was first created on 1 March 1958, that was put under the ambit of Ministry of
Transport and Communications. It was headed by a Director General in the rank of joint secretary.
Simultaneously, Tourism Development Council, an advisory body, was constituted and was chaired
by the minister in charge of tourism. [4]
After a fall in the number of tourists entering India in 1961 from the preceding year, the government
constituted a committee headed by Lakshmi Kant Jha, then secretary in the Department of
Economic Affairs, under the Ministry of Finance, to find and examine the reasons. The committee
attributed it to the Chinese aggression in the backdrop of the Sino-Indian War that year.
Subsequently, as per the committee's recommendations, visa norms were liberalized, and the India
Tourism Development Corporation was established in 1966 as a functional agency of the
Department of Tourism. Further, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi convened a conference in October
that year, the deliberations of which resulted in the creation of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil
Aviation. Karan Singh was appointed the first minister.[4

Formed 1967

Jurisdiction India

Headquarters Ministry of Tourism

Transport Bhawan

Sansad Marg
 New Delhi,110011

New Delhi

Annual budget ₹2,150 crore (US$310 million) (2018–19 est.)[1]

 Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of

Minister
State (Independent charge)
responsible

DIVISIONS
Officer Name

 Administration I
 Administration IV (Transport Bhawan)
 Administration IV (C-1 Hutments)
 Domestic Offices
 Integrated Finance Division
 Budget & Accounts Section
 Cash Section (Admn II)
 Principal Pay & Accounts Office
 Office of the Chief Financial Controller (CFC) - Pay & Accounts Office (PAO)
 HRD
 Hotels & Restaurants Division
 Hunar Se Rozgar Division (HSR)
 Information Technology (IT)
 Infrastructure Development Division (IDD)
 International Cooperation Division
 Market Research Division
 Monitoring & Coordination Division (M & C)
 Niche Tourism
 Overseas Marketing Division
 Official Language Division
 Parliament Section
 Publicity
 Events
 PR Cell
 Public Sector Undertaking
 PRASAD
 RTI Cell
 Swadesh Darshan (SD)
 Social Media Division (SM)
 Swachch Bharat Mission- Project Monitoring Unit
 Travel Trade Division
 Vigilance Cell
 Adopt a Heritage Scheme
 National Informatics Centre (NIC Cell)
Tourism Policy of 1982

Tourism policy of the Ministry was presented for the first time in both Houses of Parliament on
November 3, 1982. The policy statement contained five main objectives of the tourism policy of the
Government of India. According to it, The Government objectives are to develop tourism that: (i) It
becomes a unifying force nationally and internationally fostering better understanding through travel.
(ii) It helps to preserve, retain and enrich the county's world view and lifestyle, its cultural expression
and heritage in all their manifestations. The prosperity that tourism brings must cause accretion and
strength rather than damage to the social and cultural values and depletion of the county's natural
resources. In Tourism India must present itself on its own terms - not as an echo or imitation of other
countries, other cultures and lifestyles. (iii) It brings socio-economic benefits to the community and the
State in terms of employment opportunities, income generation, revenue generation for the States,
foreign exchange earnings and, in general causes human habitat improvement. 132 (iv) It gives a
direction and opportunity to the youth of the country both through international and domestic tourism
to understand the aspirations and viewpoints of others and thus to bring about a greater national
integration and cohesion. (v) It offers opportunities to the youth of the country not only for employment
but also for taking up activities of nation building character like sports, adventure etc and for the
molding of the youth of the country. The policy statement states that high priority would be accorded to
the development of international tourism and increasing attention to foster regional tourism. Due
emphasis is given to the development of cultural tourism and efforts to provide adequate tourist
facilities at major cultural centre’s in a planned manner in coordination with other agencies. Another
attention given was to develop backward areas having ancient monuments, natural scenery, festivals
and local arts etc. Efforts will be made to construct youth hostels to facilitate the movement of youth
from different parts of India and abroad. To achieve the objectives, the document states that selected
travel circuit approach would be followed and matching facilities would be provided. In regard to
marketing strategy, the policy statement suggests the necessity of exploring new markets and the
development of tourist traffic from West Asia and North African Countries. It also refers to the need to
develop Buddhist Centre’s with a view to attract larger number of Buddhist travellers from the Far East.
Since cultural and natural heritage constitutes the major tourism resource of the country, the need to
maintain a judicious balance between conservation and development is stressed by educating the
people in appreciating their rich heritage and eliciting co-operation in preserving and protecting it. 133
The policy statement also stressed the need for co-ordination among the various public - private sector
undertakings. "International tourism will be mainly the responsibility of Central sector; the Centre would
play a coordinating role supplementing the State effort wherever necessary. The combined effort will be
directed towards achieving a comprehensive well-rounded and integrated development enabling
tourism to make a positive and effective contribution to the economic growth of the country." It also
clarifies that sufficient incentives would be provided to the private sector to play a more dynamic role in
the development and promotion of tourism

. National Tourism Policy of 1997

The main features:- 1. Identification of domestic tourism, inbound tourism and outbound tourism
besides seeking to pamper domestic tourism along with inbound tourism. 2. Focus on the significance of
tourism in poverty alleviation and employment generation. Nevertheless, policy acknowledges the
information gap in the perception of the economic and social import of tourism. 3. In addition to spelling
out an all-inclusive of tourism product, the policy emphasizes diversification of the product in the form
of going for nab destinations to reinforce the main stream of cultural tourism. It further pinpoints the
need for improving facilitation services. 4. The preservation and protection of natural resources,
environment and ecology becomes imperative and has been incorporated as one of the main objectives
of tourism development. 5. The policy supports sustainable development of tourism within the carrying
capacity of the area. 134 6. Foreign collaboration and investment in tourism industry especially in view
of the liberalization and globalization are encouraged through a package of physical and financial
incentives for the setting up of new enterprises and their spreading. 7. There is need for introducing plan
restrictions anti educating rile people to tone down the adverse impacts of tourism. 8. Adopt new
technology greatly in the promotion of tourism 9. The policy identifies the distinct role of the Central
and State governments, public sector enterprises and private sector in tourism development. The policy
underlined the merit of local governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the local
youth in the creation of awareness amongst people and facilities for tourists. 10. The policy centre’s on
creating awareness, ensuring effective co-ordination by setting up a 'Board of Tourism Industry and
trade' involving institutions at the grass root level for the creation of tourist facilities. Developing eco-
tourism in the NorthEast implementing integrated development of tourist destinations as per carrying
capacity and local aspirations and providing a package of assistance and facilitation services to domestic
and foreign investors.

The New Tourism Policy (2002)

In 2002, the action plan was finally translated into a tourism policy and it officially became a joint
central-state government concern. The policy document attempted to establish tourism’s great
contribution in national development and its role as an engine of growth. It suggested that tourism not
only generates government revenue, foreign currency, but also provides an optimal use of India’s scarce
resources, sustainable development, high quality employment(especially to youngsters, women and
disabled people), and finally peace, understanding, national unity and stability. The policy aimed at
increasing the number of domestic and 135 international tourists. In order to do this, the government
proposed to diversify the Indian tourism products and substantially improve the quality of tourism
infrastructure, marketing, visa arrangements and air travel. In 2002, Government of India launched an
international marketing campaign named as Incredible India to promote tourism in India to global
audience. The Incredible India campaign projected India as an attractive tourist destination by
showcasing different aspects of Indian culture and history like yoga, spirituality, etc. The campaign was
conducted globally and received appreciation from tourism industry observers and travelers. However,
the campaign was substantially criticized from some quarters. Some experts criticized it on its failure to
cover several aspects of India which could have been attractive to the average tourist. In 2009, the
Ministry of Tourism launched a campaign titled ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ targeting the local population to
educate them regarding good behavior and etiquettes while dealing with foreign tourists. ‘Atithi Devo
Bhava’ aimed at creating awareness about the effects of tourism and sensitizing the local population
about preservation of India's heritage, culture, cleanliness and hospitality. It also attempted to re-instill
a sense of responsibility towards tourists and reinforce the confidence of foreign tourists towards India
as a preferred holiday destination. The concept was designed to complement the ‘Incredible India’
Campaign
Secretary (Tourism) is the Chief Accounting Authority of the Ministry of
Tourism. He discharges this responsibility with the assistance of the
Additional Secretary Financial Adviser (AS&FA)of the department and
the  Chief Finacial Controller.
The  Chief Financial Controller heads the accounting organization and
reports to the Secretary  through the ASFA.
The accounting organization comprises the Principal Accounts Office,
Internal Audit Wing and  one Pay Accounts
Office at Delhi The Chief Financial Controller is Head of the Department
for the accounting organization

Road Ahead: Prospects of India’s Tourism

India fares much better as a business destination due to its economic
growth. It still remains a highly price-competitive destination. The
recent changes in its visa regime with the introduction of visa on
arrival can lead to a great boost in the international arrivals. This
sector has emerged as one of the key drivers of growth in India. The
tourism industry in India is an important employment generator and an
important source of foreign exchange for the country. It has a huge
growth potential. India has great potential to benefit from the reforms
and infrastructural growth initiatives undertaken by the new
government. The major concerned areas like as health and hygiene,
security and safety of tourists should be given more emphasis in the
coming years. India is projected to be number one for growth in the
wellness tourism sector in the next five years. There are large areas
which need to be tapped from the tourist point of view. The growth and
development of the tourism industry should be made more and more
environmental friendly. According to the World Travel and Tourism
Council (WTTC), Indian tourism will be one of the most rapidly growing
industries in the next few years
Major Gaps in India’s Tourism Sector
The tourism and competitiveness index was calculated on the basis of
14 major dimensions which revealed how sustainable economic and
societal development can be achieved through the travel and tourism
sector in many countries. In India, the major factors which have
brought down the overall ranking are the infrastructural gaps in the
following:
 Tourism-specific infrastructure (109th)
 Bad quality of roads
 Health and hygiene (106th)
 Information, Communications and Technology readiness (114th)
 Unsettling safety and security situation
 Impact of crime and violence (97th)
 Environmental sustainability (139th)
Major Achievements
Market
 In 2014, International tourist arrivals in India reached a record
1.14 billion, which is 51 million more than in 2013. Inbound tourism
has been showing remarkable improvement in recent years.
 This has also led to a growth trend in Foreign Exchange Earnings
(FEE).
 In November 2014, India expanded the visa-on-arrival scheme
from 12 countries to 43 countries. It is in process of rolling out for
150 countries.
 Hospitality, a major segment of tourism, has grown by 10-15 per
cent in 2015 with the change in Government.
 The tourism sector is among the top 15 sectors in India to attract
the highest foreign direct investment (FDI).
Employment
In 2014, the tourism industry contributed Rs. 7.64 trillion and 36.7
million jobs to the Indian economy. By the end of 2015, this sector will
contribute 7% of India’s GDP and almost 9% of total employment.
Investments
 Many companies, both domestic and international, have invested
in India’s tourism sector in the last two years like US-based Vantage
Hospitality Group and Lalit Suri Hospitality Group.
 The Thai firm Onyx Hospitality and Kingsbridge firm have set up a
joint venture to open 7 hotels in the country by 2018.
 Goldman Sachs, New-York based multinational investment
banking fund, has invested Rs 255 crore in Vatika Hotels.
 ITC is planning to invest about Rs 9,000 crore in the next few
years to expand its hotel portfolio to 150 hotels.