The government is addressing various factors hampering the growth of India’s tourism sector which has more potential for creating jobs than the booming IT industry, says tourism minister Ambika Soni.Ms Soni, the high-profile Congress leader who was recently inducted into Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet, said she would continue her ministry’s efforts to get industry status for tourism, as this would lead to rationalisation of the taxation regime.
"Tourism has become an area which has the biggest potential for employment generation. In fact, it has more potential than the IT industry," Ambika Soni said here on Monday during an informal interaction with reporters.She listed shortage of hotel rooms and liberalisation of visa regime as some of the priorities her ministry would focus on.
"We have asked the Delhi Development Authority and state governments to identify sites that can be auctioned or leased out (to private players to build hotels). We will need 100,000 rooms by 2010," Ambika Soni said.
She pointed out that the price for plots in Delhi being offered for building hotels had gone up to as much as Rs 400-million an acre. "How can you afford this land? And what sort of rates would they charge for rooms at such hotels?" The minister said the railways had already committed to provide 100 sites across the country to build hotels or guesthouses.
"Tourism has become an area which has the biggest potential for employment generation. In fact, it has more potential than the IT industry," Ambika Soni said here on Monday during an informal interaction with reporters.She listed shortage of hotel rooms and liberalisation of visa regime as some of the priorities her ministry would focus on.
"We have asked the Delhi Development Authority and state governments to identify sites that can be auctioned or leased out (to private players to build hotels). We will need 100,000 rooms by 2010," Ambika Soni said.
She pointed out that the price for plots in Delhi being offered for building hotels had gone up to as much as Rs 400-million an acre. "How can you afford this land? And what sort of rates would they charge for rooms at such hotels?" The minister said the railways had already committed to provide 100 sites across the country to build hotels or guesthouses.