india

Updated: Sep 23, 2019 02:50 IST

Union minister of state (independent charge) for tourism and culture Prahlad Singh Patel has said that small changes in the tourism sector have made a big difference to India’s image among foreign tourists.

In his keynote address at the Hindustan Times Tourism Conclave on Friday, Patel said he has stressed on the need for these small changes during his interactions with officials. He referred to his visit to the Taj Mahal last month and said diaper-changing rooms have been provided there.

Patel said he has held deliberations with ambassadors of countries like Japan, China, and Mongolia. “Among the seven-odd points that they raised were that they needed guides [for tourists from their countries] in their languages…,’’ he said. He added they were happy with Swachh Bharat (clean India) campaign but their tourists were not too sure about Indian drinking water, even the bottled ones, and toilet facilities in hotels.

Patel said he discovered many touristy facets remained hidden in Ladakh after he visited the region following the abrogation on August 5 of Constitution’s Article 370 that gave Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) some autonomy. Ladakh was given Union Territory status while J&K was also spilt into two parts on August 5.

“When I went to the region, I inquired about ancient forts and mud structures... During my interactions with officials of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, I got more insights than what I got from officials of the Archaeological Survey of India.”

He said they found Buddha statues as high as 40 feet during their travels in the region. Patel added some of them have been damaged. “There has been a fair amount of injustice done to the region.”

Patel said that Ladakh has great potential for adventure tourism. “We issued an advisory abroad about this, and it made a major impact on tourism [there]...”

He said issues like safety were among the Centre’s key concerns when it opened 135 peaks for trekking last month to attract more adventure enthusiasts. He added the decision was taken at a meeting he held with state tourism ministers.

Patel said Himachal Pradesh tourism minister pointed to dangers. “He said that the state has the best natural setting for bungee-jumping, but within a year, there were four reported deaths,” said Patel. He added that while such deaths occur in other countries, too, the bad press for India was significant.

He underlined the need for support for tourists, who want to go for trekking. Patel added trained manpower was needed to accompany these tourists.

Patel lauded the conclave, which brought together best minds, visionaries and government representatives from the tourism industry to discuss strategies and growth drivers.

He added it was encouraging that a media house has started it. “In my term as the tourism minister, I will continue to hold deliberations with the media so that ideas and issues are brought to us.”