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Central Tourism Minister Kumari Selja has announced that a national helpline would be set up soon to address the safety and security concerns of tourists.
The minister was speaking at the inauguration of a regional conference of tourism ministers of western states and union territories here at Panaji, Goa.
Meanwhile, the minister also said that a slew of measures were needed to ensure safety and security of tourists.
"I urge the distinguished participants present here to take all necessary steps to provide protection to tourists against crime and provide them with aid when in distress. We are working towards establishing a national tourist helpline. This will work in close cooperation with the states," Selja said.
The conference was attended by tourism ministers and officials from different states and union territories such as Goa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat.
The minister also expressed concern over the ‘safety and security’ of tourists visiting India. She said, "News of any untoward incident travels quickly endangering the reputation of the country as a safe destination."
"The inflow of domestic and foreign tourists could be ensured only in a safe and secure environment. Guidelines have been formulated for raising a tourist security organisation. However, we feel that a specialised agency to handle tourist safety should be in place," she also said.
Selja also advocated the concept of eco-tourism and at the same time, she stressed on the importance of afforestation and better forest and environment management practices.
The minister was referring to the Rs.200 crore allocated to the Goa government by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in his latest budget speech ‘to preserve its natural resources by restoring its beaches that are prone to erosion and to increase its green cover through sustainable forestry’.
