The government informed Parliament on Tuesday that international tourist count in the country has dropped by 75% in the year 2020, due to the nationwide lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to government data, less than 3 million foreign tourists visited India in 2020. Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel said that while in 2019, the number of foreign tourist arrivals was 10.93 million, the number stood at 10.56 million in 2018.
Last year, foreign tourist arrivals stood at 2.68 million and “no formal study has been instituted for assessment of loss of revenue in 2020”, Patel said.
“However, several rounds of discussions and brainstorming sessions with industry stakeholders indicate massive loss of revenue, foreign exchange and jobs. In view of the highly unorganised nature of the sector, the impact in numerical terms can only be ascertained in due course,” the minister said.
“With an aim to incentivize stakeholders in the tourism industry, the guidelines for the scheme of Market Development Assistance (MDA) for providing financial support to stakeholders for the promotion of domestic tourism have been modified to enhance the scope and reach of the scheme, so as to provide maximum benefits to the stakeholders,” Patel told the House
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