Delhi. President Draupadi Murmu addressed the joint meeting of both the Houses of Parliament here today. In his address, the President highlighted the achievements of tourist areas, pilgrimage sites and historical sites across the country and various initiatives taken by the Government during the last 10 years for their development.
In his address, the President said, “Tourism is a big sector providing employment to the youth. In the last 10 years, my government has done unprecedented work in the field of tourism. Along with the number of domestic tourists in India, the number of foreign tourists visiting India has also increased.
The President said, “The reason for the growth in the tourism sector is the respect earned by India’s capabilities or achievements. Today the world wants to discover India and know about it. Apart from this, the scope of tourism has also increased due to excellent connectivity. Construction of airports at various places has also proved useful. Now, the North East is experiencing record tourist arrivals. Now the excitement about Andaman-Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands has increased.”
“The government has laid emphasis on the development of pilgrimage sites and historical sites across the country. With this, it has now become easier to undertake pilgrimage in India. At the same time, the world’s interest towards heritage tourism in India is increasing. 8.5 crore people have come to Kashi in the last one year. More than 5 crore people have visited Mahakaal. More than 19 lakh people have visited Kedar Dham. Within 5 days after Pran Pratishtha, 13 lakh devotees have visited Ayodhya Dham. The President said, there has been unprecedented expansion of facilities at pilgrimage sites in every part of India, East-West-North-South.
The President said, “The government wants to make India a major destination for meetings and exhibitions related sectors. For this, facilities like Bharat Mandapam, Yashobhoomi have been created. Tourism will become a major source of employment in the near future.”
