As part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations, Ministry of Tourism has initiated establishing ‘YUVA Tourism Clubs’ to promote national integration and spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has come forward to support the initiative of the Ministry of Tourism and issued instructions to all CBSE affiliated schools regarding formation of Yuva Tourism Clubs.

The vision of YUVA Tourism Clubs is to nurture and develop young ambassadors of Indian tourism who would become aware of tourism possibilities in India, appreciate India's rich cultural heritage and develop an interest and passion for tourism.

These young ambassadors would be catalysts for promoting tourism in India. Participation in Tourism Clubs is also expected to facilitate development of soft skills like teamwork, management, leadership besides encouraging adoption of responsible tourism practices and concern for sustainable tourism.

Speaking on this, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said that youth are the best ambassadors of India and its rich cultural, spiritual and natural heritage. The Yuva Tourism clubs that are being set up in various schools will promote national integration and build on the Prime Minister's vision of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.

Reddy further added that students will now be aware of domestic destinations and equipped with the tools to promote the tourism sector. The tourism clubs help children to be more aware about their states and neighborhood along with the cultural aspects. This further builds on the clarion call of Dekho Apna Desh by the Prime Minister.

The young members of these clubs would gain exposure to the rich diversity of India, and its civilisational values, it would enhance their sense of belonging towards the nation.

On the other hand, as the youth become tourist ambassadors, India will become the favoured tourist destination of the world which will then have a cascading impact on our economy.

The Ministry of Tourism has shared a ‘Handbook for Schools for conduct of Tourism Clubs’. The Handbook reiterates the purposes, operational strategies along with specific guidelines and suggestions for conduct of various activities.

The proposed sample of activities is suggestive and the teachers and schools are encouraged to incorporate allied activities under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) programme like excursion, online or e-tourism, pen pals in the paired State/UT, learning the language of the paired State/UT, having exposure to the diversity, natural resources and rich heritage of India.

YUVA Tourism Clubs would also enable learners to appreciate the importance of travel and tourism, ignite a passion for tourism and its value in learners, sensitise learners to various elements of travel, encourage, teach and propagate responsible tourism practices, improve physical and mental health through exploratory, adventure and sports tourism and spread awareness about tourism opportunities at an early stage and encourage learners to be skilled professionals and entrepreneurs in the hospitality and tourism sector.

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