In a written reply to a question related to the fake travel agencies/tour operators operating in the country in the Rajya Sabha, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Culture and Tourism minister, has said that the number of tourist service providers registered and approved by the tourism ministry in the country is 1,405.
As per the state-wise list of approved and registered travel agents/tour operators furnished by the minister, the national capital, Delhi, has the highest number of approved tour operators at 529, followed by Maharashtra at 128.
While Uttar Pradesh has 99 registered tourism service providers, West Bengal and Haryana have 94 and 92 approved tour operators/agents, respectively. The other states which have two-digit numbers in terms of approved tour operators are Kerala (69), Tamil Nadu (58), Rajasthan (53), Gujarat (40) Karnataka (29), Assam (26), Jammu & Kashmir (20), Bihar (18), Telangana (17), Punjab (16) and Himachal Pradesh (14).
However, the minister didn’t answer the question of the non-registered travel agents/tour operators operating in India and the action taken against such operators in the last five years.
The Ministry of Culture will establish ‘Kalagram’, a cultural village in Prayagraj, for the Maha Kumbh 2024. The village, along with multiple stages and a Ganga Pandal, will showcase India’s heritage and host performances. Tourism sector growth saw increased jobs, foreign exchange earnings, and tourist arrivals, boosting India’s global tourism ranking.
In another question related to using multi-lingual tourist assistance (call centre) services, the tourism minister stated that the call centre has been operating since February 2016 and provides services in 10 international languages, including Hindi.The call centre has so far received approximately 7.9 lakh calls.
In India, the tourism sector created 76.17 million (direct and indirect) jobs in 2022–2023, compared to 69.56 million in 2013–2014. In 2023, foreign exchange earnings (FEE) from tourism were USD 28.07 billion compared to USD 19.69 billion in 2014, registering a growth of 42.53 per cent.
The number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India in 2023 increased to 95 lakhs compared to 77 lakhs in 2014, registering a growth of 23.96 per cent. India saw 250 crore domestic tourist visits in 2023, an increase of 95.64 per cent from 123 crore in 2014.
