Tourism - GS questions based on daily current affairs

ANSWER: Spirit of India Run

Explanation:
The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India along with State Tourism departments of the States of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Chandigarh are supporting ‘Spirit of India Run’ by Mr. Pat Farmer, an ultra-Marathon Runner from Australia. Mr. Pat Farmer will run over 4000 km in 60 days starting from Kanyakumari and finishing in Kashmir. He will initiate his run on January 26th, 2016 celebrating India's Republic Day and Australia Day. Mr. Farmer is a multiple world record holder for endurance running and has run from the North Pole to the South Pole. Mr. Farmer’s ‘Spirit of India Run’ is aimed at cementing relations between India and Australia; encourage tourism and personal relationships with a view to create awareness of India as a ‘Must Experience’ destination for travelers from Australia; and support causes and charity which in the current endeavor is to raise funds for education of girl child. Mr. Pat Farmer will run on an average 70-80 Km., daily through the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir and cover a distance of 4600 km.

ANSWER: 1

Explanation:

• Coastal Circuit in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Goa,
• Himalayan Circuit in Jammu and Kashmir.
• 11 projects in Amravati, Kamakhya Temple, Patna Sahib, Patna,Vishnupad Gaya, Shri Jaggannath Puri, Amritsar,Ajmer-Pushkar, Varanasi,Mathura-Vrindavan, Kedarnath Dham Uttarakhand have been sanctioned so far under the PRASAD scheme.

ANSWER: 2, 3

Explanation:

• EcoTourism Circuit in states of Uttarakhand, Telangana, Kerala.
• Desert Circuit in Rajasthan,
• North East India Circuit in Arunachal, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura under Swadesh Darshan.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• Five Pan India Mega Circuits have been also identified namely, Ramayana-Krishna- Buddhist Mega Circuit, Himalayan & Adventure, World Heritage, Coastal and Wild Life Circuit identified for development under Swadesh Darshan to showcase India as a Land of Buddha and destination for Spiritual and Religious Tourism.

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:

• 150 countries are eligible for e-Tourist Visa currently.
• e-Tourist Visa facility is now available in 16 airports in India.
• This facility is available to Foreigners whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sight-seeing, short duration medical treatment, casual business visit, etc. and not valid for any other purpose/activities.
• This will allow entry into India within 30 days from the date of approval of e-Tourist Visa and will be valid for 30 days stay in India from the date of arrival in India.
• The e-Tourist Visa cannot be availed more than twice in a calendar year.
• The facility will encourage people to travel with short-term planning, take via routes while travelling to other countries and bring family members while on business visits.

ANSWER: Tourism

Explanation:

• ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ has been chosen by ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Börse) Berlin, as one of the 50 inspirational global projects.
• Not only is the project the only such initiative from India to receive the coveted recognition, it is one of just three in the whole of Asia. Conceived by District Collector N. Prasanth a year ago, ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ aims at bringing government agencies and citizens to volunteer to make Kozhikode an inspirational destination for them to live in, and invite others to visit.
• Called ‘50 Destinations, 50 Encounters, 50 Stories’, the ITB project celebrates the most inspiring and innovative examples from tourism around the world.
• Tourism has been highlighted and promoted as a powerful tool for development, but ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ flips the idea on its head. It starts from the idea that a destination is first and foremost a place where people live. It focuses its efforts on making Kozhikode a better place for its citizens. From this, it naturally follows that it will be a better place for travelers to visit.

ANSWER: Tourism due to geography of the place

Explanation:

• Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the distinctive geographical character of a place—its environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture, and the well-being of its residents.
• A form of natural area tourism that specifically focuses on landscape and geology.
• Geotourism was first defined (Hose, 1995) in England. There are two viewpoints of geotourism.
• Purely geological and geo-morphologically-focused Sustainable Tourism as abiotic nature based tourism. This is the definition followed in most of the world.
• Geographically Sustainable Tourism, the most common definition in the USA. This emphasises preservation of the geographical sense of a place in general, beyond simple geological and geomorphological features, as a new charter & concept in the sustainable tourism.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• Ministry of Tourism has announced the constitution of the Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board.
• The Board has been formed to tap the potential and advantages that India has in the field of medical and wellness tourism.
• It aims at enabling promotion and positioning of India as a competent and credible medical and wellness tourism destination.
• The Board is chaired by the Union Tourism Minister and consists of members representing the related Government Departments, Tourism & Hospitality sector and experts in the Medical, Wellness and Yoga.

ANSWER: 52

Explanation:

• India has moved 13 positions ahead from 65th to 52nd rank in Tourism and Travel Competitive Index as per the World Economic Forum (Davos) Report.
• The overall index is made of three main sub-indexes: (1) regulatory framework; (2) business environment and infrastructure; and (3) human, cultural, and natural resources.
• The index is a measurement of the factors that make it attractive to develop business in the travel and tourism industry of individual countries, rather than a measure of country’s attractiveness as a tourist destination.
• Ministry has launched a ‘Welcome Booklet’ for distribution at immigration counters to tourists arriving at international airports. The ‘Welcome Booklet’ contains information on Do’s and Don’ts for Tourists, contact details of Indiatourism domestic offices and ‘Tourist Helpline Number’.
• Ministry of Tourism has launched a 24x7 ‘Incredible India Help Line’ in December, 2014 to provide the tourist with valuable information and to guide them during emergencies. It is intended to provide a sense of security to the tourists. The service is available toll free on telephone no. 1800111363 or on a short code 1363.

ANSWER: Only 1, 2 and 4

Explanation:
In Budget 2014-15, the government announced several measures for boosting tourism like streamlining of some service tax bottlenecks and focused effort for the development of a global- scale Buddhist circuit and cleaning of the Ganga along with creation of world class amenities to enhance the spiritual experience along the holy river. Further, easing of the Indian tourism visa regime through the execution of tourist visa on arrival enabled by electronic travel authorization (ETA) for forty-three countries will provide a major boost to tourism.