Third time lucky for India lovers
NEW DELHI – The lengths national tourism bodies will go to in tough times is best illustrated by the decision by India to consider offering free holidays – but only to those who have already visited the country twice before.
Faced with a fall in foreign tourist arrivals (compounded by the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai) the government has decided to offer hospitality on the house to foreign tourists who come to India for the third time.
The global meltdown combined with the Mumbai attacks have spelt disaster for the tourism industry with foreign tourist arrivals dropping by 2.1 percent and foreign exchange earnings down by 12.5 percent.
The Times of India says the tourism ministry is considering several sops for the hospitality and travel industry.
These include offering free air travel and accommodation to foreign tourists who visit India for the third time. “This move, if approved, will mean encouraging genuine Indophiles and is in line with our effort to encourage repeat travellers,” an official said.
The ministry is also considering footing the bill for travel and accommodation of tour operators promoting domestic travel and medical tourism.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments