New beginnings

2014 proved to be a watershed year for India’s tourism and hospitality sector, and the new government at the centre defined and drafted some progressive policies and projects to provide the necessary impetus for hospitality and tourism growth

Updated: January 14, 2015 14:19 IST

2014 proved to be a watershed year for India’s tourism and hospitality sector, and the new government at the centre defined and drafted some progressive policies and projects to provide the necessary impetus for hospitality and tourism growth. The Budget 2014 further made some relevant announcements namely on REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) and InvIT (Infrastructure Investment Trust) and mapped interesting development projects, such as smart cities, industrial corridors, new airports, as well as five new tourist circuits around specific themes, The National Mission on Pilgrimage, Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (Prasad), National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (Hriday), development of the Sadhana-Gaya -Varanasi Buddhist circuit, etc.

However, as I reminisce on the scene from 2001 to 2004, the ministry of tourism, Government of India had a similar zest with a powerhouse team of bureaucrats namely V K Duggal, Rathi Vinay Jha, Amitabh Kant at the helm. This team gave India’s tourism a major boost both nationally and internationally in terms of visibility and value. The renowned Incredible India campaign was coined by the same team around the same period. It was also during the same phase that the department was led by minister Jagmohan who must be credited for his contribution towards the betterment of UNESCO World Heritage site Ajanta and also towards pilgrim tourism by bringing in order at the Vaishno Devi pilgrim destination.

It was action time then and it is action time now. 2015 will see a host of conventions and trade shows starting with the PATA convention in Bhutan and of course, our very own Food Hospitality World happening this month in Mumbai. Being eternal optimists, we at ETW believe that the positive trend witnessed by the tourism industry in 2014 will continue in 2015 with increased vigour and versatility. In this New Year Special, we bring you 15 out-of-the-box travel professionals who with their fresh ideas and new tourism concepts have added a zing to the world of travel and tourism.