Visit India 2009 scheme launched by Ministry of Tourism

After taking a series of hits, with the economic meltdown and the Mumbai terror attacks, the Ministry of Tourism will now offer complimentary offers to its tourists and hopes to do better in 2009.
With the launch of the scheme Visit India 2009, international tourists will receive value-added incentives during the period April – December 2009.

The incentives offered under the Visit India 2009 scheme include:

1. One complimentary international air passage for traveling companion

2. One night complimentary stay in the hotel booked by the tourist

3. One complimentary local sightseeing tour in any one city of visit and

4. One complimentary Rural Eco Holiday in the country

This offer is based on providing one service free for every service availed by the tourists in collaboration with Airlines, Hotels and Tour Coordinators.

Airlines like Jet airways, Air India and Kingfisher have partnered with the Tourism ministry for the Visit India scheme. The Hotel Association of India and tour operators affiliated to the IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators) has also aligned themselves with the ministry.

All member hotels of the Hotel Association of India will offer benefits in one of the following three categories:

1. Stay one night and get the second consecutive night free

2. Stay two nights and get the third consecutive night free

3. Stay three nights and get the fourth consecutive night free

All taxes would be extra and payable by the guest.

Some other hotels like the Select group of Hotels have individually offered incentives under the scheme.

The tourists can avail any one of the incentives independently and are not compelled to go for the complete package.

The Tourism ministry has expected tourist growth to be around 10 million in 2008 but had to settle for a mere growth rate of 5.36% as compared to an increase of 14.5% in 2007.

India’s foreign exchange earnings suffered a 22% dip in 2008 following Mumbai Terror attacks. Hotels reported that 50 per cent of the reservations were cancelled which lead to the government intervention to stabilize this situation. They experienced a negative growth of 2.1 per cent in November 2008.

Few other bailout measures were suggested, for instance grant of deemed export status to the tourism sector, cut in luxury tax and extension of tax holidays for hotels, cut in service tax for tour operators and delinking of hotel projects from real estate projects – but none could be incorporated into the scheme as all these measures required clearance certificates from various ministries.

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