The Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Information & Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar;  Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the nationwide  “Paryatan Parv 2019" in the presence of the Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism and Culture, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel today in New Delhi. The Festival was inaugurated with fanfare amongst the beating of drums and cultural performances.  Shri Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, M/o Tourism and Shri Amit Khare, Secretary, M/o I&B and senior officers  were also present during the occasion.

 Organised by the Ministry of Tourism,  Paryatan Parv 2019 will be held from 2^nd to 13^th October, 2019 across the country. The Delhi leg of the Parv is being held from 2^nd to 6^th October, 2019 at Rajpath lawns between Rafi Marg and Janpath.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Prakash Javadekar said that India is full of diversity and it makes India different and unique in comparison to resf of the world. He also said that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, growth of tourism sector has been  phenomenal over the last five years.Shr Javadekar said that as per appeal of our Prime Minister everybody should visit 15 places of India by 2022.He appreciated the work of Tourism Ministry regarding development of tourism sector in the country.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan  said that our country has been bestowed with thousands of tourist attractions, spread in almost every district. He called upon the countrymen and the foreign tourists to move into the countryside and visit the less explored  places which have historical, cultural or religious significance, or just to visit the places with scenic beauty. He complimented the ministry of tourism for organising such events and undertaking the promotional efforts which has led to 1.5 times jump in the number of foreign visitors in last 5 years. He said tourism in the country provides substantial employment opportunities and contributes much to the national GDP. Shri Pradhan said that organising such festivals provides opportunity and exposure to common man to experience and appreciate the cultural and other types of varieties in the country. This also binds and unites the people, the Minister added.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel  expressed his happiness that the inauguration of the Paryatan Parv is coincding with the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. To understand soul of the country , the Father of the Nation  toured throughout the country and we can come close to our culture and people by the medium of tourism, the Tourism Minister elaborated. Prime Minister is Brand Ambassador of the countyr and due to his efforts tourism has shown a tremedous growth over the five years. In fact , the world tourism ranking of the country ahs jumped from 65 in 2013 to 34 in 2019, he explained. Shri Prahlad Singh Patel assured that as outlined by the Prime Minister, the doubling of number of tourists will be achieved much before the set target of  2022.

Shri Prahlad Singh Patel further stated that in the line of Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts regarding sustainable and clean tourism, efforts are being made to phase out single use plastics in various organisations of ASI and Ministry of Tourism. Single Use Plastics will no longer be permitted within ASI protected Monuments and within 100 m of these Monuments, the Toursim Minister announced.

The paryatan Parv has 31 stalls of Central government ministries as well as from States and UTs. 59 food stalls representing cuisines from all over the country have also been setup. The idea of Paryatan Parv is to propagate the message of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’, with the objective to encourage Indians to visit various tourist destinations of the country and also to spread the message of ‘Tourism for All’. A multi media exhibition organised by Bureau of Outreach Communication of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was also inaugurated by Shri Prakash Javadekar, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Shri Prahlad Singh Patel.

Paryatan Parv 2019 is dedicated to 150^th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Paryatan Parv is being organized with the objective of drawing focus on the benefits of tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country and reinforcing the principle of “Tourism for All”.

The three components of Paryatan Parv, are:

Dekho Apna Desh:  To encourage Indians to visit their own country. In the run up to the parv,   several activities have been organised across the Country like Photography contest covering tourism attractions and experiences, promotion on Social Media, Tourism related Quiz, Essay, Debate and Painting Competitions for Students. General public engagement for the event will be promoted through the MyGov platform.

Tourism for All:  Tourism Events at sites across all States in the country are being organised. The activities at these sites will include illumination in and around the Sites, Cultural Programmes of Dance, Music, Theatre, Story Telling, Sensitisation Programmes for Stakeholders around the Sites, Tourism Exhibitions, Showcasing Culture, Cuisine and Handicrafts / Handlooms, Guided Heritage Walks, etc.

Tourism & Governance:  Interactive Sessions & Workshops with Stakeholders on varied themes have  been organised across the Country as a part of the Paryatan parv activities.

The highlights of the event in Rajpath Lawns (in between Rafi Marg and Janpath), New Delhi are:

• 31 Theme Pavilions of States& Line Ministries
• Food Court with 59 Food Stalls
• Kitchen Studio by Institute of Hotel Management
• Crafts Bazaar with 76 Handicraft & Handloom Stalls etc.
• Cultural Performances by States / UTs and North Zone Cultural Centre
• Yoga Demo, Training and Therapy by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry of Ayush
• Exhibition on the theme by Bureau of Outreach Communication, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
• Stall by Ministry of Consumer Affairs on the theme “JagoGrahakJago”
• Stall by Department of Posts Government of India highlighting “My Stamp Counter, Sale of Philatelic Ancillaries and Gandhi Presentation Packs’ during the Parv.
• Stall by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs spreading awareness on Swachh Bharat Mission
• Stall by Ministry of Road Transport spreading awareness on Road Safety

Stall to promote khadi and products of village industries or handicrafts by Khadi & Village Industries Commission

• Other Interactive Activities to keep visitors engaged

During the Inauguration of Paryatan Parv 2019, 7 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with four (4) agencies under the “Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan” project of Ministry of Tourism were also handed over.

The List of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Awardee

SN	Name of Site/ Intervention	State/ UT	Name of Agency
1	Elephanta Stables, Hampi	Karnataka	Orange County Resorts & Hotels Ltd.
2	Pattabhirama Temple, Hampi	Karnataka
3	Zenana Enclosure (Lotus Mahal), Hampi	Karnataka
4	Badavilinga Temple, Hampi	Karnataka	Hotel Malligi Pvt. Ltd.
5	Ugra Narsimha Temple, Hampi	Karnataka
6	Krishna Temple, Hampi	Karnataka	Heritage Hotel, Hampi (a unit of Indo Asia Leisure Services Ltd.),
7	Aguada Fort	Goa	Drishti Lifesaving (P) Ltd.

The Adopt a Heritage Scheme aims to develop synergy amongst all stakeholders and involves active participation of local communities / players to promote responsible tourism.

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NB/AKJ

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