India Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac said in a statement that the country's FY 2019 budget will include a total of Rs 372 crore for the tourism sector, down Rs 9 crore from FY 2018, to be allocated:
- Rs 132 crore for development of tourism facilities at various locations
- Rs 82 crore for marketing, down from 82.5 in FY 2018
- Rs 12 crore for District Tourism Promotion Councils
- Rs 8 crore for the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation
- Rs 4 crore to protect buildings of tourism potential and fund infrastructure
- Rs 20 crore to provide infrastructure for the Kerala Boat League, for which UNESCO Cultural Heritage Status is being sought
Mr. Isaac also said that additional tourism funds may be forthcoming later.
Tourism initiatives currently underway by the Government of India include:
- 182 meter statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, expected to put India on the world tourism map
- Various efforts to achieve 1% share of global arrivals by 2020, 2% by 2025
- Integrated development of tourist circuits
- Deployment of tourist police
- Support of the medical tourism industry
Tourism accounts for around 8% of total employment in India. Foreign arrivals increased by more than 6% in 2018.
