29 Tourism projects sanctioned for North East

The Union Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned 29 projects of Tourism for the North Eastern States during the year 2014-15. These include 9 projects in Nagaland, 8 in Sikkim, 5 in Manipur, 4 in Arunachal Pradesh, 3 in Mizoram.

The Ministry of Tourism has not sanctioned any amount to the State of Tripura this year because the State has a Utilization Certificate pendency of Rs.16.63 crore under the various schemes of the Ministry of Tourism. 

India logs rise in FTAs

The number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) in India from January to November 2014 has registered a positive growth over the same period of the preceding year, according to Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Dr. Mahesh Sharma. The number of FTAs and the growth registered over the previous year during 2011, 2012, 2013 and January- November, 2014 is given below:

Year	FTAs to India (in million)	Growth Rate (%)
2011	6.31	9.2
2012	6.58	4.3
2013	6.97	5.9
Jan-Nov, 2014 (P)	6.58	7.1

P: Provisional

“The steps taken to boost tourism in the country include publicity and promotion, electronic travel Authorization, restriction on gap for re-entry lifted, safety of women tourists, cleanliness and hygiene, trained language speaking guides among others,” the Minister said in Rajya Sabha.