Andhra Pradesh bagged the top honour at the National Tourism Awards 2017-2018, in a ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan on September 27. The awards were given by chief guest Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu in the presence of Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary General, and Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of Tourism and Culture. The awards were on the same day the world is celebrating 'World Tourism Day' and for the first time, India is hosting the international event.
Andhra Pradesh received the overall Best State award, beating Goa and Kerala Goa and Madhya Pradesh jointly won the Best State for Adventure Tourism award Orchha took home the Best Heritage city award Dhordo got the Most Responsible Tourism project award while Uttarakhand received the award for being the most Film Friendly State, among others. A total of 76 awards were given by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
&ldquoIndia is the land of cultural diversity, but in our inheritance we are one. Vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is our family,&rdquo said the Minister during the inaugural speech. &rdquoIndia possesses tremendous potential in terms of heritage and ecology. We are glad that WTO chose us for the celebrations this year,&rdquo added the Vice President.
The World Tourism Day theme for this year is &lsquoTourism and Jobs A better future for all&rsquo, emphasising on which, Patel said that every minute element/person in the tourism industry is responsible for making it a smooth ride. &ldquoTourism is responsible for creating awareness about social, cultural an economic value. The UNWTO promotes responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism. We are glad that we are celebrating our birthday in incredible India,&rdquo said Pololikashvili.
Along with a reduced GST for hospitality services in India, the Minister also announced a special category of visa for 30 days with a reduced visa fee for tourists willing to visit the country. There will also be a translation of UNWTO&rsquos online academy courses in hindi so that it is more accessible to people from India. Additionally, apart from the current categories of awards, a special category to felicitate people who've done exception work for tourists will also start.
