Tourism ministry plans to build a Paryatan Bhawan in Lutyens' Delhi

The tourism ministry has submitted a proposal to the housing and urban affairs ministry to seek land for building a new ‘Paryatan Bhawan’ in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi which will house offices of state tourism departments, passport renewal centres and visa processing offices of private companies, besides the ministry’s office.
“We are planning to build it as a one-stop window for tourists for all queries and services. We hope to start work on it in this financial year subject to approvals,” an official aware of the matter told ET on condition of anonymity. “Ample space will be provided to state tourism departments and companies offering visa processing services as well as for passport renewal. The building should be completed in about two years.”

The official said there was another vacant plot of land close to the Birla temple but it was not suitable because it fell in a green zone.

ET had reported in its edition dated August 6 that the tourism ministry had submitted a plan to the prime minister’s office to encourage more overseas visitors to come to India following a muted growth in inbound tourist numbers in the first half of this year. The home ministry had also made a series of amendments to various chapters of the visa manual for India in a bid to simplify entry of foreign nationals and had directed the tourism ministry to disseminate the information to travel associations.

About 5.2 million foreign tourists visited India this year between January and June, a growth of 2.2% year-on-year, as per data released by the tourism ministry. Nearly 15 million foreign tourists visited India in 2018, a growth of 5.2% year-on-year. India’s share of international tourist arrivals slipped to 1.24% in 2018 from 1.27% in the previous year.