The tourism ministry is trying to speed up the immigration clearance process for air passengers. The ministry wants to introduce, within a year, a system whereby arriving passengers can obtain faster clearances for the payment of a nominal fee.
"Arriving passengers, if they do not want to stand in long queues, can pay a fee and opt for a faster clearance system. This system will be faster than the normal time consuming system," Tourism Minister Renuka Chowdhury said.
The tourism ministry has already put forward a proposal to this effect to the home and civil aviation ministries.
"The proposal has been forwarded to the ministries concerned and will also be taken to the group of ministers on tourism as well. We expect another six months to put the system in place," Chowdhury said.
To ease passenger rush at peak time, the government is increasing the number of immigration and Customs counters.
All these are part of the government's strategy to ensure smoother travel facilities for passengers.
According to the minister, a training programme has been started for airport staff. Additional staff will also be pressed into service when required.
The government will also train airport personnel on improving their tourist handling skills. Taxi drivers and tour guides will also be given lessons on etiquette while dealing with tourists.
She also said the country had already seen an increase in tourist traffic this year. According to government estimates in September alone, the tourist inflow has seen an increase of over 26 per cent over the last year.
"We had taken various steps to popularise India as a tourist destination and it is paying dividends now. We have also identified countries where roadshows will be organised to push Indian tourism," she said.
