Following increasing incidents of attacks on tourists, especially on foreign women tourists, the Centre has convened a meeting with state governments to review safety and security aspects on January 24.
Informing the state chief secretaries of the meeting, Union tourism secretary Shilabhadra Banerjee, in his letter, referred to recent media reports of harassment and attack on women tourists.
He reminded the state governments on the concerns of the Centre on the safety and security of the foreign as well as domestic tourists. He recalled that the Centre had advised the states in the past over the need for deployment of Tourist Police at the places of tourist importance.
Tourism projects and related issues would also be reviewed at the meeting, an official release said on Thursday.
Molestation
The shameful saga of crimes against foreign women tourists continued with two teenagers from Canada alleging they were molested by a hotel security guard in Kumarakom, Kerala raising serious concerns for the travel industry.
Two Canadian girls aged 12 and 14 were allegedly molested by a security guard of a resort in the famous tourist destination, reports DHNS from Kumarakom.  Their father Peter John came here on Wednesday morning and registered a complaint. He said his daughters were at the billiards room of the resort around 9.30 am when the guard who was there got friendly with them,’’ said the spokesman. 
“The guard identified as Shyju Varghese, 27, of Kumaranalloor of Kottayam, allegedly got physical and tried to grope them. The girls raised an alarm and reported this to their father immediately,’’ he said. Based on the complaint, the police arrested the guard and produced him before the judicial first class magistrate who later granted him bail.
The police said the family left the place on Wednesday afternoon.  Incidentally, the city police commissioner of Kochi has received congratulatory letters from some prominent Mumbaikars for registering a suo motu case within minutes of the Fort Kochi incident.
Former Governor Julio Ribeiro, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, Maharashtra Minority Commission vice-chairman Dr Abraham Mathai and lawyer Majeed Memon commended commissioner Manoj Abraham in this regard.
They were particularly incensed at the initial refusal of the Mumbai police to register a case against the New Year revellers who molested two women in front of a star hotel there.