Centre pushes states to strengthen tourist safety

New Delhi, Dec 8: The Union Tourism Ministry has urged states and Union Territories to strengthen on-ground safety for visitors by deploying dedicated tourist police units.

Although tourism safety is primarily a state responsibility, the Centre has been regularly following up with governments to enhance security measures.

So far, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh have introduced tourist police.

The ministry also handles complaints related to service deficiencies and cheating through the 24x7 Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal. Foreign tourists can file grievances using an India-registered mobile number.

As part of its efforts to improve traveller safety, the Ministry operates a round-the-clock multilingual Tourist Helpline (1800-11-1363 or 1363) offering assistance in 12 languages, including 10 international ones.

The government has additionally created the Nirbhaya Fund, a non-lapsable corpus managed by the Ministry of Finance, for projects aimed at improving women’s safety.

The Tourism Ministry has repeatedly encouraged states and UTs to utilise the fund under the ‘Safe Tourism Destinations for Women’ initiative.

The information was shared by Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.