Indias foreign exchange earnings from tourism amounted to Rs 11063.96 crore in 1997, registering a 6.05 per cent increase over the previous years, according to Ram Chopra, deputy director general of tourism. He said, forex earnings have increased steadily from Rs 6141.31 crore in 1993 to Rs 7103.53 crore in 1994, Rs 8640.02 crore in 1995 and Rs 10049.92 crore in 1996. A total of 23,76,250 tourists visited India last year compared to 22,87,860 in 1996, an increase of 3.9 per cent in the arrivals, Chopra added.
The government has planned to promote tourism in a big way this year as this sector was a major source for foreign exchange earnings for the country, he said. As part of its efforts to boost tourism, the department has planned a three-day India international food festival from February 6 next at Girgaum Chowpatty where more than 100 stalls would offer world-famous cuisines such as Italian, Chinese and Japanese apart from native dishes. The food festival is the first of its kind organised by the tourist department here, Chopra said.
