TEAM HERALD
NEW DELHI: A national conference of the state tourism ministers and officials on Thursday resolved to set up a special tourist police either by deputing few police companies for the job or by engaging ex-servicemen and home guards. It also decided to ensure the safety and security of tourists, especially women.
The decision came in response to Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi calling for creating a cadre of tourist police and deploying it visibly in places susceptible to harassment of the tourists.
“If despite our best efforts, such incidents occur, we must take immediate action to bring the culprits to the book and ensure speedy court trials while respecting dignity and privacy of the tourists,” he said while referring to the recent incidents of assault on women tourists damaging India’s image.
The conference convened to discuss strategies for realising the full tourism potential was also attended by 22 national tourism, travel and hospitality industry associations. It decided that the tourism departments will ensure immediate post-traumatic help to the victims.
Chiranjeevi told the conference to focus on cleanliness and hygiene of the tourist places. He said heaps of garbage at tourist destinations, open defecation at the beaches, morning soils on the railway tracks etc discourage the tourists. “The problem is serious and if we fail to tackle it now, it may be too late,” he said, suggesting that the tourist destinations be declared plastic free and proper toilets be built to prevent open defecation.
He also shared the tourism industry’s concern over various taxes like VAT, service tax and luxury tax on the tourism-related services ranging from 20 to 30 per cent as compared to 5 to 10 per cent in the neighbouring country. Pointing out that he has already spoken to the finance ministry to rationalise the central taxes, he asked the state ministers and officials to take up reduction of the state taxes at their end.
Expressing concern over high tax structure on tourism products the Tourism Minister said that collective taxes like VAT, Service Tax and Luxury Tax on tourism related services range between 20 to 30 per cent in India as compared 5 to 10 percent in the neighbouring countries. He said, “I have opened a dialogue with the Finance Ministry to rationalise the central taxes,” the minister said.
I would request you also to take up the issue of rationalisation of State taxes with your counterpart in Finance Department of your State”.
Referring to the recent in Uttarakhand disaster, he advocated principles of sustainability and carrying capacity while developing the tourism destinations.. This must be done especially for the religious places where large number of pilgrims congregates at a given time. “We must immediately assess the carrying capacity of various tourism destinations and address the sustainability issues. In case, some remedial measures are required, they must be taken before any disaster happens. Uttarakhand has been a warning to all of us,” he added.
Chiranjeevi asked State tourism ministers to focus on cleanliness and hygiene of the tourist places. He said heaps of garbage at tourist destinations discourage tourists
