The National Tourism Awards 2016-17 were presented by Union Minister for Tourism (IC), K J Alphons on September 27, 2018, on the occasion of the World Tourism Day, which is being celebrated globally with the theme ‘Tourism & Digital Transformation’.
The Tourism Minister also launched the ‘Incredible India Mobile App’ and the ‘Incredible India Tourist Facilitators Certification’ programme. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that tourism is the cornerstone of the Indian economy, as it is a major source of employment and foreign exchange, and in order to tap the full potential of this sector, the industry has to join hands.
The Minister also announced that India will be the host country for official World Tourism Day celebrations for the UNWTO, in 2019.
The application showcases India as a holistic destination, revolving around major experiences, such as spirituality, heritage, adventure, culture, yoga and wellness. It has been designed keeping in mind the preferences of the modern traveller and follows the trends and technologies of international standards. It has been equipped with features to assist the traveller in each phase of their journey in India. The app has been developed by Tech Mahindra. |
The certification programme is a one-of-its-kind online learning, which aims to brand the country in a positive light, through these facilitators, by building capacity of the key touch points for tourists, desiring that each interaction result in superior experience for the visitors. This online learning platform has been developed by Wipro Limited. |
National Tourism Awards 2016-17
The awards have over the years emerged as a prestigious recognition of achievements in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.
This year, a total of 77 awards were presented to the tourism industry stakeholders, state governments, central agencies and individuals.
Following is the full list of winners:
| S.no | Award | Winner |
| 1. | Best State / Union Territory: Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Rest of India) | First Prize: Andhra Pradesh Second Prize: Kerala Third Prize: Rajasthan (Joint Winner) Third Prize: Goa (Joint Winner) |
| 2. | Best State / Union Territory: Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Jammu & Kashmir and North East including Sikkim) | Sikkim |
| 3. | Best Maintained Differently-abled Friendly Monument | Archaeological Survey of India - Qutb Complex, Delhi |
| 4. | Best Tourist Friendly Railway Station | Secunderabad |
| 5. | Best Airport (Class X cities) | Sardar Vallabhai Patel-International Airport, Ahmedabad |
| 6. | Best Airport (Rest of India) | Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, Indore |
| 7. | Best Heritage City | Ahmedabad (Joint Winner) Mandu (Joint Winner) |
| 8. | Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in India Category – A | Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Telangana |
| 9. | Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in India Category – B | Municipal Council, Omkareshwar, and M.P. Tourism Board |
| 10. | Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in India Category – C | Saputara Notified Area Authority |
| 11. | Swachhta Award | Indore, Madhya Pradesh |
| 12. | Best Heritage Walk | Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Delhi Chapter (Joint Winner) Indore Heritage Walk (Joint Winner) |
| 13. | Most Responsible Tourism Project / Initiative | Wayanad, Kerala |
| 14. | Best State for Adventure Tourism | Madhya Pradesh (Joint Winner) Uttarakhand (Joint Winner) |
| 15. | Most Innovative & Unique Tourism Product | Heaven On Ocean Tourism Pvt. Ltd. For Coral Safari in Andaman & Nicobar (Joint Winner) 21 Gun Salute Heritage and Cultural Trust For Vintage Car Rally (Joint Winner) |
| 16. | Best Tourist Guide | Samik Kumar Ray |
| 17. | Best Wildlife Guide | Radhika Prasad Omre |
| 18. | Best Tourism Film | Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala for the film - 'Live Inspired' |
| 19. | Most Innovative use of Information Technology (Social Media / Mobile App / Website) | Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan - For its website |
| 20. | Best Film Promotion Friendly State / Union Territory | Rajasthan |
Besides this, the Tourism Minister said that the Ministry of Tourism has formulated a voluntary scheme for Approval of Operational Motels, with effect from September 25, 2018 with an aim of recognising the Motel segment as a component of the overall tourism product and set standards of facilities and services of Motels.
The Minister also informed the industry that the flood-stricken Kerala is now ready to receive tourists since the hotels and tourist sites are now operational. He also added that the state is rapidly recovering from the disaster and it is now the time for the tourism industry to support the state’s tourism sector.
Background
The Ministry of Tourism presents the National Tourism Awards every year to various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.
These awards are being given since the early 1990s and are presented to state governments, union territories, classified hotels, heritage hotels, approved travel agents, tour operators and tourist transport operators, individuals and other private organisations, in recognition of their performance in their respective fields.
The awards are conferred to encourage healthy competition with an aim to promote tourism.
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