The government plans to set up budget hotels at 100 identified tourists sites and improve onshore infrastructure for berthing of cruise ships as part of major exercise to improve tourism facilities in the country.
The budget hotels would be set up with private sector participation and five ports including Mumbai and Mormugao have been identified for introduction of cruise between Bombay and Goa, Tourism Minister Renuka Chowdhury told the members of Consultative Committee attached to her ministry on Wednesday.
A task force has also been set up to develop berthing place for small cruise all along the coastline, she said.
The ministry, she said is also keen to open the Kanchanjunga from the Indian side for scaling and trekking to promote adventure tourism. Now, the peak can be accessed from Nepal only.
She said her ministry has also taken up the matter of increasing scheduled airline capacity, upgradation of airport infrastructure in time bound manner and rationalisation of tourist transport taxes.
Chowdhury said that the government has also taken up rural tourism as one of the priority areas so that its socio-economic benefits could be passed on to rural population.