Focus on infra in Budget 2021 will help revive tourism sector: Tourism secy

New Delhi, Feb 10 () The focus of the Union Budget on the building of infrastructure will help improve connectivity for both domestic and international travellers, thereby helping the tourism sector to grow, Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh said on Wednesday.

Briefing the media on the budget allocation for the ministry, he said the outlay for Annual Budget 2021-22 of the Ministry of Tourism is Rs 2,026.77 crore as against the outlay (Rs 1,260 crore) approved for the revised Budget Plan 2020-21.

"The annual outlay in FY 2021-22 is 61 per cent higher than the revised annual outlay in FY 2020-21. Of the proposed budget allocation of Rs 2,026.77 crore, about Rs 950 crore would be used for the creation of tourism infrastructure at various destinations spread over different states and about Rs 670 crore would be spent on tourism promotional activities," he said.

The remaining allocation would be used for funding other schemes such as the Capacity Building for Service Providers and the Champion Service Sector schemes, among others, Singh said.

"We are confident that the emphasis on infrastructure creation that we have seen in the budget will help improve connectivity for domestic and international travellers. Developing expressways will provide a better connectivity to the tourist sites along these routes and contribute to the growth and development of the tourism sector in the country. Overall, better road, air and train connectivity will benefit the sector," he added.

Singh said the aesthetically designed Vista Dome LHB coach on tourist routes will also give a better travel experience to passengers.

He also emphasised that the vaccination drive against COVID-19 will help curb the spread of the disease, which will generate confidence among travellers, help revive domestic tourism and also fast-track international tourism once the situation normalises around the globe. ASG RC