Single window clearance for setting up hotels soon

The government is in the process of providing single window clearance for establishing hotels and green field airports to the private sector in small destinations.

"There are a lot many problems in getting clearances for opening new hotels. We would like to ensure that hotels get all the clearances from one place.

"The government is trying for that," tourism minister Kumari Selja said on the sidelines of SATTE 2010 travel mart.

Tourism secretary Sujit Banerjee said the government is going for single window clearance system for hotel industry and all formalities including the preparation of cabinet note for the proposal has been finalised.

Minister for civil aviation Praful Patel said his ministry is unveiling a new airport policy, which allows greenfield airports at smaller destinations.

He said the Centre is offering single window clearance for it. Tourism in India needs to grow at a much faster place compared to the pace in Singapore and Dubai, he said, adding, "We all need to do a lot more to attract tourism".

Stressing on the need for being a tourist-friendly nation, Selja admitted that incidents of crime against tourists like the ones reported from Goa recently do affect the country's image and tourism.

Such incidents should not take place as they have a bad bearing on tourism as well as on the country's image, she said. Selja, however, said that Goa should not be singled out on the issue.

"Anything that happens anywhere puts us in bad light. Atithi Devo Bhava (guest is god) should not only be a slogan. We have to be a tourist-friendly nation.

"The Incredible India campaign was much appreciated abroad. While we attract people from abroad, we also need to think about other issues," Selja said.

She said tourism in India has not reached its full potential and emphasised the need to be 'a little more aggressive' now.

However, she said the tourism industry is looking up this year. Patel claimed that connectivity from international cities to India has improved in the last five year and the number of operational airports has now almost doubled to 88 from the 47 in 2004.

The minister also underlined the need to have better places with more facilities in the national capital and other cities to organise mega events.

Both Patel and Selja said that hosting events like SATTE will give a boost to tourism. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit also echoed similar views.

This was the 17th annual exhibition cum seminar programme of SATTE and it was for the first time that the world's leading travel event ITB of Berlin collaborated with it.

Image: Le Grand Meridien, Bangalore