New Delhi, Feb 24 : Union Tourism Minister Ambika Soni on Tuesday said that despite global meltdown and the Mumbai terror attacks, tourism industry registered an increase of 5.6 percent foreign tourist arrivals in 2008.

While replying the questions in the Rajya Sabha, Soni said the total number of tourists arrival in 2008, was 53 lakhs and 67 thousand.

"The country registered a growth rate of 14.56 per cent in the tourism sector as against the global growth rate of 6 per cent," she said.

New Delhi, Jan 14 : Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Milinda Moragoda today urged Minister of Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni to provide expert help to Sri Lanka in strengthening the tourism sector.

Moragoda, who called on Soni here today, said: "Sri Lanka wants to learn from India how tourism related issues are dealt at the State and community level. Sri Lanka is involving private sector in tourism related activities and wants to develop new tourism related products to attract more tourists."

There will be separate police force for the security and safety of travelers, said Tourism Minister Ambika Soni Thursday.

The new force will be called Tourist Security Organisation.

The tourism ministry in consultation with the ministries of home and defence and state governments had framed guidelines for forming the force, Soni said in Lok Sabha.  

“The guidelines have been sent to the state governments and union territories,” the minister said.

New Delhi, Nov 18 : Union Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni today said that all efforts are on to have inclusive growth in the tourism sector in the country.

Addressing the meeting of Consultative Committee attached to Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture here, Soni said schemes are being formulated and implemented in a manner that urban rural divide is bridged and every social and ethnic group is included in the promotion of tourism in the country.

New Delhi, Oct 13 : The 84th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) executive council meeting will be in Madrid, Spain on October 14.

The meeting would be chaired by the Union Minister Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni.

A Study conducted by tourism experts on global imbalances and tourism growth would be presented in the UNWTO executive council meeting, which would highlight the steps that can be taken by member states for promoting tourism in the current economic scenario.

Attari-Wagah Road, (Amritsar), Oct. 7 : Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni inaugurated a tourist resort – the Aman Umeed Bhawan – here on Tuesday.

It was earlier known as Neem Chameli.

The new tourist resort has been set with the expectation that it will draw more tourists through the Wagah – Attari land route in the future.

Spread over 1.75 acres of land, the Aman Umeed Bhawan has a built up area of about 10,000 square feet. It has facilities like restaurants, a bar, shops and resting rooms for domestic and foreign tourists, particularly those from Pakistan.