Centre to reward tourists visiting 15 spots in a year by funding their Travel expenses
If you are a travel enthusiast, then we have some amazing news for you!
The government announced a wonderful incentive for travellers who visit 15 tourist spots in India by 2022. This move of the Centre comes in the context of boosting tourism in India, and truly showing the tourists the myriad of cultures that India is. As per the incentive, The government will sponsor the travel expenses of those tourists who at least visit the 15 locations.
This program termed as the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative is garnering accolades from people from all over the country. This will not only make people get away from their comfort zones and witness the beauty of their own country but also help local vendors, tourist guides and local restaurants. The boom in the tourism industry will create more and more jobs and lead to a better economy.
On January 24, Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Tourism Minister, said “The tourism ministry will fund the travel expenses of tourists who visit 15 destinations in the country in a year and submit the photos on our website. “ He announced this initiative at the National Tourism Conference held at Odisha’s Konark. Patel also added that people who take up this initiative are to be seen as brand ambassadors of India, and thus, they deserved to be rewarded.
‘Dekho Apna Desh’
While talking about the Dekho Apna Desh initiative, the minister also enlisted the Konark Temple in the list of iconic sites. This move comes to boost tourism in an often neglected state like Odisha. Along with this, to boost tourism in Odisha, students are encouraged to take tourism-related certificate courses to facilitate the tourism industry in Odisha. These courses are offered by the state government of Odisha, to garner more employment in this industry.
The way to take part in this wonderful initiative is to first take a pledge, then upload photos of any of the 15 locations that you visited on the website. An important point to note is that you have to go outside your home state to be eligible for his program. The reward is also primarily an incentive to boost tourism in India, and not a monetary benefit. Those who finish this task under a year will also get a reward from the government.
To make this program a success, Soubhagya Mohapatra, Chairman of the FICCI Eastern Tourism Committee, believes that more tourist trains should be launched to connect the sites and make the travel more convenient. He further added that this will also help tourists visit states that are under the radar and less frequented.
The list of the 15 iconic places will be announced soon, so keep checking the official website of the program.
So, what are you waiting for, pack your bags and travel through all the lovely 15 sites to claim that coveted reward?
