Tourism and rural development, which is the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day being celebrated on Sunday, will be the focus of the Rajasthan government’s new tourism policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy has a vision for utilising the tourism sector’s ability to support economic development of rural areas.
The theme set by the U.N. World Tourism Organisation would complement the State government’ efforts to create innovative tourism products and generate new opportunities in the rural areas, Alok Gupta, Principal Secretary (Tourism), said here on Saturday. The focus would be on lesser-known tourist destinations, he said.
As the tourism sector has been worst hit by the pandemic, the policy seeks to promote new investments for development of more tourist venues. “In addition to strengthening infrastructure and improving connectivity, the policy has laid emphasis on safety and security of tourists,” Mr. Gupta said.
Promoting local craft and cuisine has also been made part of the new policy, as the sector is set to be promoted as a means to improving rural economy. The State government has already declared reimbursement of the State’s share in GST to hotels and restaurants, made renewal of bar licences easier and relaxed motor vehicle tax for vehicles of more than 22-person capacity.