Goa considering sops for bottom-end tourism players

October 6th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Punjab's scheduled and unscheduled power cuts may have made people weary but the state government Tuesday announced Punjab's new industrial policy, lining up a slew of concessions to attract investment in the state. The new industrial policy, the seventh announced by the Punjab government since 1978, was approved by the cabinet here.

August 3rd, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala Tourism has been awarded the 2009 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award in the marketing destination category and has been selected as "best in class" from amongst 236 entries worldwide. The award ceremony will take place Sep 25 during the PATA Travel Mart 2009 in Hangzhou, China, according to a Kerala Tourism release issued here Monday.

August 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Seeing the immense tourism potential of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the tourism ministry is organising a number of roadshows abroad to attract travellers, Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said here Monday. "The Commonwealth Games in India next year will be an important event, especially from the tourism point of view.

July 27th, 2009 Canada says tourism from US near all-time lowTORONTO — Canada's tourism association says the number of U.S. tourists visiting Canada is at a 37-year low and declining, mainly due to the recession, but stricter new U.S.

July 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government will announce more sops for the slowdown-hit exports sector in the export-import policy (Exim) for 2009-10, which will be released next month, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said here Thursday. "There will be certain measures.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With a view to giving a fillip to the tourism industry, which is witnessing a downturn due to the global meltdown, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee allocated Rs.1,070 crore to the sector in the union budget he presented in parliament Monday. Mukherjee also announced custom duty exemption for water and snow equipment to boost adventure tourism.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Tourism has not found much favour with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who gave only a token Rs.20 crore increase in allocation for the ministry in the union budget presented Monday, with almost a third of the Rs.1,070 crore for promotion of the "Incredible India" campaign overseas. In a spur to adventure tourism in the country, Mukherjee announced custom duty exemption for water and snow equipment used in adventure tourism.

July 5th, 2009 PANAJI - The state tourism industry should be granted tax sops in the budget to be presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday, a leading industry chamber here has said. According to the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the state's tourism infrastructure also needed needed to be upgraded if it were to compete with other tourist destinations the world over.

June 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Minister for Tourism Kumari Selja Friday urged Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to offer budgetary incentives for the tourism industry as it is facing a crunch due to global economic slowdown. Leading a delegation of key stake holders from tourism industry, Selja met the finance minister and submitted a memorandum requesting concessions in the union budget to be presented July 6.

June 5th, 2009 PANAJI - Following Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik's call to assess the "quality" of foreign tourists coming to Goa, Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Churchill Alemao has now raised fears about the quantity of tourists that Goa attracts. Alemao told reporters here Thursday that he was against an increase in the number of tourists coming to the state.

April 20th, 2009 JAIPUR - The government has approved 28 mega infrastructure projects to boost tourism, and is on the verge of granting it infrastructure sector status, Tourism Secretary Sujit Banerjee announced here Monday. 'These 28 mega projects will put a lot of money in the hands of the states for upgrading tourism infrastructure, which will be a major boost for the sector,' Banerjee said while inaugurating an international tourism conference, the Great Indian Travel Bazaar 2009.

February 17th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac Wednesday hinted that his budget, to be presented Friday, would have some special offers for the large number of NRIs, who are returning home after losing their jobs due to the economic slowdown. 'The situation in the Middle East is such that by June this year more than 200,000 people will return.

February 3rd, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Chief executives of Technopark companies here Wednesday asked the Kerala government to announce a stimulus package for the state's IT industry, which has been hit hard by the economic slowdown. The Group of Technopark Companies (GTECH), a body representing the CEOs of the companies in Technopark, expected hope that the government would come up with some sops for the industry in the next state budget, to be presented later this month.

January 22nd, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Gujarat's tourism department has sought Sri Lanka's help in developing resorts along its coastline given the island nation's vast experience in running several resorts and spas along its beaches, an official said Friday. A tourism department official here said the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has been invited to develop resorts comprising world class facilities along Gujarat's 1,600-km coastline that is dotted with beaches, whose tourism potential remains untapped.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Sri Lanka Wednesday sought India's help in strengthening tourism to meet the challenges posed by the global meltdown. The issue was discussed in a meeting between Tourism Minister Ambika Soni and her Sri Lankan counterpart Milinda Moragoda, who also expressed keenness to participate in the travel marts organised by India, including the Great Indian Travel Bazar to be held in April.