The Union Ministry of Tourism (MoT) advised state governments/UTs to deploy tourist police at prominent tourist spots
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said they have asked states to deploy tourist police at prominent spots.
“The governments and union territories of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have deployed tourist police in one form or the other,” Sharma said.
The ministry along with all stakeholders, including the tourism departments of all states and union territories, has adopted a “code of conduct for safe and honourable tourism”, a set of guidelines to encourage safe travel, he said.
Moreover, the Ministry of Tourism is running the Social Awareness Campaign on television to sensitize the masses and the stakeholders on the traditional Indian values and concept ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. The campaign consists of two commercials; one on sensitizing against misbehavior with tourists and the other against cleanliness of tourist sites and streets.
The MoT also granted financial assistance to the state governments of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh for setting up of Tourist Facilitation and Security Organization (TFSO) on a pilot basis.
