Saturday, October 5, 2024

Ministry of Tourism Launches Paryatan Mitra & Paryatan Didi – N.F Times


New Delhi: The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India launched a national responsible tourism initiative by the name of ‘Paryatan Mitra & Paryatan Didi’ on September 27th, World Tourism Day,

Based on the vision of the Prime Minister for enabling tourism as a vehicle for social inclusion, employment, and economic progress – Ministry of Tourism piloted Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi in 6 tourist destinations across India namely – Orchha (Madhya Pradesh), Gandikota (Andhra Pradesh) Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Aizawl (Mizoram), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), and Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman & Nicobar Islands).

Through this initiative, the Ministry of Tourism aims to elevate the overall experience for tourists in destinations, by having them meet ‘tourist-friendly’ people who are proud Ambassadors & Storytellers for their destination. This is being done by providing tourism-related training and awareness to all individuals who interact and engage with tourists in a destination.

Driven by ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’, cab drivers, auto drivers, staff at railway stations, airports, bus stations, hotel staff, restaurant workers, homestay owners, tour guides, police personnel, street vendors, shopkeepers, students, and many more were provided training and awareness on the importance of tourism, general cleanliness, safety, sustainability, and also on the importance of providing tourists with the highest standards of hospitality and care.

These individuals were also made aware of the local stories of the destination along with its lesser-known tourism wonders, so that every person a tourist interacts with in these destinations, turns out to be local Ambassadors and storytellers, who strive to create a positive tourist experience in every manner.

Through Paryatan Mitra & Paryatan Didi, special emphasis is being placed on the training of women and youth to enable them to develop new tourism products & experiences like heritage walks, food tours, craft tours, nature treks, homestay experiences, and other innovative tourism products based on the potential of the destination. It is also envisioned that locals leverage these skills to obtain gainful employment going forward as homestay owners, food & cuisine experience providers, cultural guides, natural guides, adventure guides, and other roles in tourism.

Tourism-specific training is being followed by general training in digital literacy and digital tools to ensure that the experiences they create are discoverable and visible to tourists, nationally and globally. Since the pilot of this program on August 15th this year, around 3,000 people have been trained in the 6 pilot destinations on the importance of creating a positive experience for tourists, thereby being a Paryatan Mitra.

Impact

Due to the efforts of Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi, there has been visible enthusiasm from locals to be a part of tourism training programs and become a part of the tourism ecosystem.

Going forward, the Ministry will be recognizing Paryatan Mitra’s & Didi’s in destinations with a dedicated badge and identity, offering tourists a way to be assured of an incredible experience when with a Paryatan Mitra.

On World Tourism Day 2024, the Ministry of Tourism has launched Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi across the following 50 tourist destinations in the country:

State/Union Territory Destination 1 Destination 2
Andaman & Nicobar Islands Sri Vijaya Puram  
Andhra Pradesh Gandikota Tirupati
Arunachal Pradesh Tawang  
Assam Guwahati  
Bihar Bodhgaya Nalanda
Chandigarh Chandigarh  
Chhattisgarh Raipur  
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Daman  
Delhi Delhi  
Goa Goa  
Gujarat Ahmedabad Kevadia
Haryana Kurukshetra  
Himachal Pradesh Shimla  
Jammu & Kashmir Srinagar  
Jharkhand Ranchi  
Karnataka Hampi Mysore
Kerala Thiruvananthapuram Kochi
Ladakh Leh  
Lakshadweep Kavaratti  
Madhya Pradesh Orchha Ujjain
Maharashtra Aurangabad Nasik
Manipur Imphal  
Meghalaya Shillong  
Mizoram Aizawl  
Nagaland Dimapur  
Odisha Puri  
Puducherry Puducherry  
Punjab Amritsar Patiala
Rajasthan Jodhpur Jaipur
Sikkim Gangtok  
Tamil Nadu Mahabalipuram Thanjavur
Tripura Agartala  
Telangana Hyderabad  
Uttar Pradesh Varanasi Agra
Uttar Pradesh Ayodhya  
Uttarakhand Haridwar Rishikesh
West Bengal Darjeeling Kolkata

 

The vision of Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi is to welcome one and all to experience Incredible India through Incredible Indians, thereby creating a more welcoming, hospitable, and memorable experience for tourists when in India.


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