Soon tourists arriving in India will be able to gain information on popular customer preferences, accommodation facilities, price range for hotels and the like with the click of a mouse as the Tourism Ministry (MoT) is all set to launch NIDHI -- National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State, Tourism & Culture, said the MoT is set to launch NIDHI and a Certification System for the hospitality sector on September 27 on the occasion of World Tourism Day.

The system is worked out in association with the Quality Council of India (QCI) in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic to boost confidence in the minds of customers.

“NIDHI will be a source of information for the country and the world. MoT had 1600 hotels registered with it; after the discussion with stakeholders, this figure has reached 21, 000,” Patel tweeted.

Discussions have been initiated with states and other stakeholders for implementation of NIDHI and the certification programme SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness & Training for Hospitality Industry).

The Certification has three components -- Self Certification (Initial stage), Capacity Building (training in terms of SOPs and Guidelines), and the Third-party Assessment.

Meanwhile, the ministry is considering a proposal by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) to open 405 new peaks in the Himalayan region to boost tourism opportunities and promote mountaineering. This is in addition to 137 peaks that it opened last year for foreigners, including the 8,589-metre tall Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world, for mountaineering expeditions and trekking.