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India is emerging as a leader in the rapid recovery of international tourism within the Asia-Pacific region. According to the May 2024 UNWTO barometer, tourist arrivals in India have reached 89% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024, highlighting one of the region’s most robust recoveries. This significant rebound underscores India’s growing attractiveness as a global travel destination.
To enhance its status as a top choice for sustainable and responsible tourism, the Ministry of Tourism has developed a National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism. This comprehensive strategy is founded on several key pillars:
Promoting Environmental Sustainability
Protecting Biodiversity
Promoting Economic Sustainability
Promoting Socio-Cultural Sustainability
Certification Scheme for Sustainable Tourism
Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) and Capacity Building
Governance
In support of this strategy, the Ministry has revitalized the Swadesh Darshan scheme with the introduction of Swadesh Darshan 2.0. This initiative aims to establish a thorough framework for the integrated development of tourism destinations, in collaboration with State and UT governments, as well as local authorities, to promote sustainable and responsible tourism nationwide.
Swadesh Darshan 2.0 has identified 57 destinations across 32 States and UTs for development, as detailed in Annexure-I.
A crucial element of this initiative is the “Challenge Based Destination Development” sub-scheme, which focuses on the comprehensive development of tourist destinations to enhance the overall visitor experience. This sub-scheme aims to transform these destinations into hubs of sustainable and responsible tourism.
Under this sub-scheme, 42 destinations have been selected across four categories:
Culture & Heritage Destinations
Spiritual Tourism
Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Destinations
Vibrant Villages Program Destinations
Detailed information about the destinations under the Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar categories is available in Annexure-II.
ANNEXURE-I
List of Destinations Identified Under Swadesh Darshan 2.0:
S. No.States/Union TerritoryDestinations Identified1Andhra PradeshGandikota, Arakku-Lambassingi2Arunachal PradeshNacho, Mechuka3AssamJorhat, Kokrajhar4BiharGaya, Nalanda5ChhattisgarhBilaspur, Jagdalpur6GoaPorvorim, Colva7GujaratDholavira, Dwarka8HaryanaPanchkula (Morni)9Himachal PradeshPong Dam10Jammu & KashmirBasholi11JharkhandChandil12KarnatakaHampi, Mysuru13KeralaKumarakom, Kozhikode (Beypore)14Madhya PradeshGwalior, Chitrakoot15MaharashtraSindhudurg, Ajanta-Ellora16ManipurMoirang (Bishnupur)17MeghalayaShillong, Sohra18MizoramAizawl, Champhai19NagalandNiuland, Chumukedima20OdishaKoraput, Debrigarh along with special attraction of ‘khinda village’21PunjabAmritsar, Kapurthala22RajasthanBundi (Keshoraipatan), Jodhpur23SikkimGangtok, Gyalshing24Tamil NaduMamallapuram, The Nilgiris25TelanganaBhongir, Ananthagiri26TripuraAgartala, Unakoti27Uttar PradeshPrayagraj, Naimisharanya28UttarakhandPittoragarh, Champavat29ChandigarhChandigarh30LakshadweepLakshadweep31PuducherryPuducherry, Karaikal32LadakhLeh, KargilTotal57
ANNEXURE-II
List of Destinations Identified Under Challenge Based Destination Development in the Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Category:
S. No.DestinationsState/UT1Bichom DamArunachal Pradesh2SivasagarAssam3Mayali BagichaChhattisgarh4Mayem VillageGoa5Thol VillageGujarat6UdupiKarnataka7Mushkoh VillageLadakh8LakshadweepLakshadweep9Doyang ReservoirNagaland10KamareddyTelangana
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