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India to develop 50 new tourism destinations and 59 new routes under UDAAN to promote tourism in India

India to develop 50 new tourism destinations and 59 new routes under UDAAN to promote tourism in India

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in association of department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan has organized G20 Tourism Expo in Jaipur from 23rd to 25th April 2023.

In line with India’s G20 Presidency coinciding with celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Amrit Kaal, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is attempting to develop India’s Tourism Sector on a mission mode under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Elaborating the same, Shri Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India 0n April 24, said that India plans to develop 50 new tourism destinations across the country and envisages making 59 new air routes operational to boost tourism in the country.

Speaking during inaugural session of G20 Tourism Expo organized by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India along with FICCI and Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, Shri Arvind Singh said, “Amidst India’s G20 Presidency, India’s Tourism sector is showing one of the strongest recoveries in the Asia Pacific region. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, India registered 6.19 million foreign Tourists arrivals in 2022 registering a growth of 305% as compared to 1.52 million in 2021. To promote tourism further, we plan to promote Green Tourism and open 50 new Tourism destinations and launch publicity in overseas market.”

The Ministry of Tourism has already organized two G20- Tourism working Group Meetings and is exploring promotion of Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skill development, promotion of MSMEs and Destination Management. Besides, the Government is also focusing on robust infrastructure development. “We are taking a 360-degree view of developing the Tourism infrastructure with focus on enhancing rail, road, and Air connectivity. We have recommended 59 new routes to the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the Udaan Scheme, which is very successful and out of these 51 Tourism routes have already been operationalized,” said Shri Singh while highlighting the initiatives taken for the deepening of the tourism sector in the country.

Mr. Vishwendra Singh, Minister of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan On April 24, informed that the state government plans to revive 23 old air-strips spread all over Rajasthan which will give boost to tourism sector in the state. Delivering his inaugural address at G20 Tourism Expo, Shri Vishwendra Singh said, “ Under our newly introduced Rural Tourism policy, we are going to re-develop 23 air-strips with private sector support. This will provide a big impetus to tourism in Rajasthan, especially in rural areas and create humongous employment opportunities.”

“Rajasthan has also formed a path-breaking Rural Tourism policy which other states should emulate. The policy is expected to boost wildlife tourism, cultural and religious tourism across the state,” said Shri Vishwendra Singh. Enumerating the initiatives taken by Rajasthan Government, Smt. Gayatri Rathore, Principal Secretary – Tourism, Art & Culture, Government of Rajasthan said, “Rajasthan is home to about 75% of heritage properties in India, many of which have been renovated and restored through public private partnership and are now being used for royal-weddings and film shoots. Our department has recently formulated Rural Tourism Scheme to promote Tourism in rural Rajasthan and create employment opportunity.”

Welcoming the delegates and dignitaries Shri Dipak Deva, Chairperson, Tourism & Culture Committee of FICCI said, “The recovery of tourism worldwide has been phenomenon and India is leading from the front. We hope to keep the momentum aiming at 11 million FTAs. India’s G20 Presidency will add strength to India’s drive”.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Past President, FICCI & CMD of The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group said, “India’s G20 Presidency is an incredible opportunity of not only to host meetings, but also a fantastic platform to showcase India’s diverse culture, cuisine, heritage and its treasure of tourism destinations. It is also a great opportunity for tourism industry to showcase itself.”

During the inaugural of G20 Tourism Expo, several dignitaries, including Ambassador of Republic of South Korea to India His Excellency Mr. Chang Jae-bok were present. Attended by the stalwarts of tourism, travel and hospitality sector of India, the event will witness some of the leading names of governance, policy making and industry coming together on one platform to deliberate on the future of India’s travel and tourism industry.

The G20 Tourism Expo is being organized simultaneously with the 12th edition of Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB). GITB, one of the biggest events of inbound tourism in India, is co-organized by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India along with Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The special G20 Tourism Expo will include panel discussions, ambassadors’ roundtable, cultural eventing, game of golf and other programmes.

Being held after a gap of three years, GITB will witness over 11,000 B2B meetings of 283 tour operators from 56 countries, including 150+ from G20 countries, with the representatives of Tourism Boards from 11 states namely – Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, apart from Rajasthan along with more than 290 Indian Exhibitors.

The premier tourism event is supported by leading national and regional associations like Hotel & Restaurant Association of Rajasthan (HRAR), Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) and Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO). The first edition of the GITB was held in 2008 and since then has grown from strength to strength and is considered a force to recon within inbound travel mart of India.

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Ministry of Tourism, to organize the country’s first Global Tourism Investors’ Summit (GTIS) in New Delhi from 17-19 May 2023

Ministry of Tourism, to organize the country’s first Global Tourism Investors’ Summit (GTIS) in New Delhi from 17-19 May 2023

Ministry of Tourism organized a roundtable interaction with heads of mission in New Delhi on March 23 as a run up to first Global Tourism Investor’s Summit.

As an initiative under India’s G20 Presidency, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India shall be organizing the country’s first Global Tourism Investors’ Summit (GTIS) in New Delhi from 17-19 May 2023.

The Roundtable Interaction with Heads of Missions was chaired by Shri G.Kishan Reddy, Minister of Tourism, Culture and DONER. While addressing the Heads of the Missions at Vigyan Bhawan on March 23, Shri Reddy remarked that guided by the Vision of  Prime Minister, tourism development and promotion is being undertaken in Mission Mode by the Government. He also stated that the current investment landscape of the country makes it an appropriate destination for investment in various sub sectors of the Indian tourism industry such as Hospitality & Lodging, Wellness tourism, Adventure tourism, Eco-Tourism, Rural Tourism and others. The Minister thanked all the participating Missions for attending the Roundtable Interaction and invited them to actively participate in the forthcoming Investors Summit and be a part of India`s growth  and development in the tourism sector.

Shri Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism mentioned that in order to showcase investible opportunities to investors, till now 25 states have shared 350 plus investable projects with a total investment potential of around Rs. 64,000 Cr. (USD 7.7 billion) with the Ministry of Tourism. He stated that GTIS will also have several knowledge sessions focused on topics such as sustainability, digitalization, technology, insights, state-specific issues, and other sub-sectors of tourism. These sessions will facilitate business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) engagements.

Mr. K B Kachru, Member, CII National Committee on Tourism and Hospitality stated that GTIS is the right platform for all the tourism & hospitality industries operating outside India to come, witness the huge Indian market, and leverage the available investment opportunities.

 A total of 42 Foreign Missions participated on March 23, this Year’s Interaction. The G-20 Presidency will give India’s tourism sector an unparalleled opportunity to highlight India’s tourism offerings and share India’s tourism success stories on a global stage. India’s tourism market is set for a growth trajectory due to improved infrastructure, global connectivity, higher disposable incomes and the development of niche tourism products opening opportunities for foreign investors.

 Tourism sector has emerged as one of the fastest growing economic sectors and has a significant impact on trade, job creation, investment, infrastructure development and social inclusion. The objective of GTIS 2023, being organized in partnership with Invest India as the Investment Promotion and Facilitation partner and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the Industry Partner, is to provide a common platform for interactions between global and domestic players and explore the investment opportunities in the Indian travel and hospitality sector.

India has a diverse portfolio of niche tourism products which includes cruises, adventure, medical, wellness, sports such as Golf and Polo, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions), ecotourism, film, rural and spiritual tourism and the Investor Summit will provide a two-way platform for showcasing of the unique offerings of India while the potential investors from foreign countries can identify the state-specific investment possibilities in the segment unique to that State. A web-site www.gtistourism.in has also been developed which will help in taking forward the public-private engagements beyond the event as well. All the G20 countries are expected to participate at the mega event.

100% FDI in the tourism and Hospitality sector is allowed under automatic route. In the last 8 years from 2014-2022, India has received FDI inflows worth USD 9.2 billion in the hotel and tourism sector whereas India had received FDI inflows worth USD 7.2 billion from 2000-2014.  States are also actively working on policies and providing incentives and concessions to attract private investments for Homestays, MICE infrastructure, Wellness tourism, Eco tourism etc. In line with the push towards streamlining of approvals, the Ministry of Tourism is integrating with National Single Window System (NSWS) platform and reduce the number of approvals required to setup a new project in Tourism & Hospitality sector. 7 States are actively working with NSWS to provide a unified interface to identify and apply for approvals required for setting up a hotel.