Parliament Question: Promotion of eco-tourism

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2384 ANSWERED ON 12.03.2026 PROMOTION OF ECO-TOURISM 2384 SHRI IMRAN PRATAPGARHI: Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state: (a) the measures adopted to promote eco-tourism and sustainable tourism practices in major destinations; (b) the details of incentives and support extended to local communities and other stakeholders; and (c) the impact of measures on conservation of environment and livelihood generation? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) to (c): Development and promotion of tourism including promotion of eco-tourism and sustainable tourism practices is primarily undertaken by the respective State Government/Union Territory (UT) Administration. Ministry of Tourism under its various schemes provides financial assistance for development of tourism infrastructure and experiences in the country by extending financial assistance to the SGs/UTAs on receipt of the project proposals from them, in synergy with the scheme guidelines, Government directions, availability of funds, inter-se priority etc. The components considered for sanctioning under the projects also include those related to sustainability, safety, sanitation etc. as per project requirement. The Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Ministry has been revamped as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations. It includes consultation with local communities and stakeholders while preparing projects for development of destinations and encourages use of renewable energy, eco-friendly material, development of accessible infrastructure etc. Ministry of Tourism launched ‘Challenge Based Destination Development’ as an initiative under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme with the intention to undertake holistic development of the destination to enhance tourist experience across all points of tourist value chain, which also focuses on transforming destinations as sustainable and responsible destinations. Ministry of Tourism periodically reviews the progress of projects sanctioned under its various schemes and encourages State Government/UT Administrations to undertake robust operation and management of these projects so that the benefits accruing from the same reaches to the local community and stakeholders. Environmental Sustainability is a key pillar in the National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism formulated by the Ministry and circulated to the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. In line with the strategy, Travel for LiFE programme was initiated to encourage tourists and tourism businesses to adopt sustainable tourism practices . *******