States get long-term interest-free loans in interim budget to develop iconic tourist spots

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her speech on Thursday said states will be encouraged to take up "comprehensive" development of iconic tourist centres and undertake their branding and marketing at a global scale. Tourism, including spiritual tourism, has tremendous opportunities, she said. The announcements on spiritual tourism will lead to the creation of job opportunities at the local level, and the decision to provide long-term interest-free loans to states for the development of tourism infrastructure will certainly boost both domestic and inbound tourism, industry body CII said in a statement. Read The Rest at :