New Delhi,6 May:(Rajya Sabha):Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Smt. Kanti Singh has said that the tourists arrivals (FTAs) in India, including those pertaining to the middle-aged (45 years and above) tourists, has been increasing in the recent years. The FTAs for tourists aged 45 years and above constituted about 41% of the total FTAs in India in 2006 as compared to about 30% in 1996.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today she said, the FTAs in India for tourists aged below 45 years increased from 1.61 million in 1996 to 2.63 million in 2006, registering a growth of about 63%.The Minister said, ‘Public Order’ and ‘Police’ are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, and the prevention of crime, including crimes against tourists, is the responsibility of State Governments/ Union Territories. The Ministry of Tourism, therefore, asked State Governments and Union Territories to deploy tourist police at places frequented by tourists and ten States have already deployed tourist police at important tourist destinations. In a recent meeting with Secretaries of Tourism of States and Union Territories, it was emphasized that the safety and security of tourists is of paramount importance and State Governments/ Union Territories must ensure the same.