A four-day course will be conducted in Varanasi by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management for the boatmen, rickshaw pullers, priests, porters, shopkeepers and vendors who operate in and around the ghats and temples of this city. The trainees will be compensated for the wage loss. 
 
The Paryatak Mitra programme will target college-going students (18-28 years), including those enrolled with the NCC and NSS. The 10-day course, implemented by  the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, will be initiated at destinations identified under the PRASAD scheme of the Ministry of Tourism.

The programme will attempt to inculcate appropriate tourism traits and knowledge among the trainees to enable them to act or work as tourist facilitators (Paryatak Mitra).

To encourage the young people from the north-eastern states of India to work as tourist facilitators, a course is being formulated for the 10+2 pass-outs in the age group of 18-28 years. Each course will be of 30 days duration and  will be implemented by the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management. 

It is expected that the initiatives will help the youth to acquire skills that will improve the service standards, one of the pre-requisites for attracting tourists in larger numbers to India: