Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government would set up up five Special Tourism Zones in partnership with States. Mr. Jaitley did not provide any further details or the States where these tourism zones would come up. Five Special Tourism Zones, anchored on SPVs, will be set up in partnership with the States,” the Finance Minister said in his Budget speech. Under Swadesh Darshan, 13 thematic circuits have been identified for development, namely North-East India Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit. Easy on the pocketThe decision to withdraw service charge on railway tickets booked from the IRCTC website will also boost tourism, said analysts.

Source: The Hindu February 01, 2017 21:56 UTC