New Delhi: The Prime Minister in his Mann Ki Baat address mentioned that “There will be a value addition in tourism only when we travel not only as a visitor but also like a student and make efforts to assimilate, understand & adapt. This is my personal experience, I had a chance of visiting more than five hundred districts of India. In more than four hundred & fifty districts, I had a night stay too. And now, when I am shouldering this responsibility in India, that travel is coming in very handy and proving to be very useful. That helps me a lot in understanding things. I request you too, to feel the “Unity in Diversity” which is not a mere slogan but is a storehouse of enormous energy. The dream of “Ek Bharat – Shreshtha Bharat” is inherent in this. How many varieties of cuisines there are ! If we eat a new dish every day, we won’t have to repeat any variety throughout our life. This is the power of our tourism. I would request that during these vacations do not go out just for a change but leave with the intention to know, understand –& gain something. Internalize India within yourselves. Internalize the diversities of millions of denizens of India within you. These experiences will enrich your lives. Your vision will expand. And, who can be a better teacher than experience!”.
The country is blessed with numerous tourists sites, its cuisine, dance, music, attire, customs etc. and under the umbrella of Paryatan Parv one can get glimpses of all this and more. The power of tourism can be seen when one looks at the wide spread participation in the event by State Governments, Central Ministries, Travel Associations, Organisations, School and College students and the general public.
Airports have been decorated, Railways Stations are wearing a festive look, the tourists sites are illuminated, Sites are getting a cleaner look, Service Providers are being made aware of the benefits of the tourism, youth camps are being held, Rural Tourism is getting a fillip, Workshops and seminars are being conducted, cultural evenings are enthralling the tourists, Heritage walks and nature walks are being undertaken, it is literally activities galore during Paryatan Parv.
Day 16 of Paryatan Parv
Highlight of the day sixteen of Paryatan Parv was launch of Tourism Projects by Ministry of Rural Development in Aibawk Rurban Cluster for Development of Cycling Track, Construction of 3 km road and footpaths, Beautification of Historical Sites and setting up of Orchid Research Centre at Aizawl, Mizoram. The other activities organized in Aizawl were Sensitization Programme for local community, Painting Competition for Children Cultural Show, Eco Trail.
Ministry of DONER in association with the State Government of Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh has organised Cultural evening at Aizawl, Illumination of Ita fort at Itanagar and Sensitization Programme for taxi drivers and distribution of waste disposal at Naharlagun respectively. Cultural Evening at Kohima was also organised by the Ministry of DONER in association with the State Government of Nagaland. Atithidevo bhava Sensitization Programme for shopkeepers, vendors, rickshaw and autorickshaw drivers, has been organised at Borabari, by IHM, Guwahati
The Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Ministry of Culture and the State Government of Karnataka has organised various activities like Heritage Walk, Tourism Exhibition, Exhibition of Handicrafts/Handlooms, Quiz / Essay / Painting Competitions for Students, Illumination of Site, Cultural Evening at Hampi.
The State Government of Gujarat has organized Grameen Olympics at Olpad Village, Surat. Hygiene Awareness for street food vendors and other unorganized sector stakeholders was organised at Law Garden by IHM, Ahmadabad. The State Government of Madhya Pradesh has organised Punjabi Food Festival at the Hotel Highlands, Pachmarhi.
The State Government of Uttarakhand has organized yoga session at Rishikesh. Essay and painting competition was organised at Kozhikode District by the State Government of Kerala.
India tourism Kolkata has organised a seminar on “Road Map for Development of Cultural Tourism in and around Shantiniketan & Birbhum” at Vishwa Bharti University. Tourist Awareness Programme on Swachhta at Boat Jetty organised by IITTM, Goa. Distribution of new trash bags and Excursion trips for students was organised by IHM Chennai at Mammallapuram.
