The three-day National Conference of State Tourism Ministers that was held in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh concluded on Tuesday in the presence of Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy.
The conference was attended by the tourism ministers of 12 states: Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Haryana, Mizoram, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh.
During the concluding remarks, the Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy thanked all the State delegates and sector representatives for their valuable suggestions. He urged all the states to share and adopt the best practices to boost the tourism sector.
States must organise such conferences at state level with district officers of different departments and stake holders to improve and promote tourism destinations, Reddy stated. He further emphasised on the importance of Yuva Tourism Clubs and said these clubs can became game changers for the sector.
Such conferences will be organised from time to time to provide an opportunity to learn from one another: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy. (Photo credit: PIB Delhi)
The union minister also informed that the national flag will be installed at tourist places. He appealed to the states and stakeholders to install flags at all hotels and tourist places.
Reddy said such conferences will be organised from time to time to provide an opportunity to learn from one another and hoped that this would yield desired results very soon.
Talking about the outcome of the conference, Secretary Tourism Arvind Singh said India will play a pivotal role in contributing towards global tourism recovery driven mainly through domestic tourism. All the major tourism indices have started showing signs of recovery towards the pre pandemic levels such as domestic air passenger traffic, hotel occupancy and tourist footfalls, he said.
Singh further stated the National Tourism Policy has been drafted with a holistic vision and strategy to revive India’s Tourism and aims to achieve USD 1 Trillion by the sector in 2047. Against this backdrop, the Ministry is also paving the way for developing responsible and sustainable tourism destinations.
The Government of India will continue to support MSMEs in tourism and capitalise on the employment generation potential in the sector, Singh said. There are plans to strengthen the various initiatives under the ongoing schemes of the Ministry of Tourism to ensure complete recovery from the disruption caused to the tourism economy due to the pandemic.
Singh further said India plans to position itself as a major tourism destination during its presidency of G20 for 2023.
“We plan to ensure due rigour, dedication and showcase our cultural richness while welcoming the world to our nation,” stated the tourism secretary, adding that the ministry also aims to introduce necessary interventions such as Visa Reforms, Ease of Travel, traveller friendly Immigration Facilities at Airports and openness to international travel.
Informing about the goals for the India Tourism Sector for 2024, Singh said they will strive to recover to pre-pandemic level by mid-2024. The country is estimated to achieve 50 Bn USD GDP contribution from Tourism, 30 Bn USD in Foreign Exchange Earnings and 15 Mn foreign arrivals by 2024, he said.
Singh further said that India is estimated to grow at 7-9% CAGR in the coming decade and 250 Bn USD GDP contribution from tourism, 137 Mn jobs in the Tourism sector, 56 Bn USD in Foreign Exchange Earnings and 25 million foreign arrivals are expected to be achieved by 2030.
We commit to deliver plans aligned with these goals and commitments to ensure positioning of India as one of the leaders in the tourism sector by 2047, Singh said.
