G-20 presidency: Indian Tourism Sector to Contribute USD 56bn forex to GDP
Ministry of Tourism to host Global Tourism Summit in April
Chandigarh, 17 January 2023: With India catering to the world’s most powerful economies under the aegis of India’s G20 Presidency, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India shall be organizing the country’s first Global Tourism Summit in New Delhi from 10-12 April 2023, where all G-20 member countries will participate. CII is the Industry Partner for this event.
In a roadshow held ahead of the summit in CII Northern Region Headquarters, Chandigarh, the Tourism Ministry officials from various Northern Region States emphasized how G20 will be the Union Tourism Ministry’s main area in 2023 to establish the country as a key tourism destination during its year-long leadership.
Mr Arun Srivastava, Deputy Director General-Publicity, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India shared, “The Summit is being organised to showcase various opportunities for investment and trade in the sector, especially in the hospitality sector. This will allow global visitors to explore Indian tourism products and services that will provide an opportunity to the local players to cater to the global demand and compete in this sector.”
Mentioning the Government’s target for 2030, Mr Srivastava said, “Pre-pandemic, foreign tourist arrivals in India touch 11 million and the forex generated was INR 2 lakh crores, providing over 13% direct & indirect jobs in the country. By 2030, we are aiming at a forex contribution to GDP of USD 56 billion will generate 140 million jobs.”
Mr Sumeet Sihag, Director, Industries, Chandigarh Administration shared that the growth objectives that can be achieved through tourism that include employment generation, attracting private investments, preserving heritage and tradition, preserving the environment, diversifying tourism products into sports, entertainment, and leisure activities, developing resources for hospitality, etc. “Chandigarh has a significant potential in religious tourism, eco-tourism, and tourism driven by the IT & education sector,” he shared.
Talking about the various schemes offered by the Government of Punjab, Mr Gurkirat Kripal Singh, Secretary-Tourism & Cultural Affairs, Government of Punjab said, “As the gateway to the nation for Central Asia, a lot of cultural exchange has happened in Punjab where a lot of events have taken place, of significant historical value. Government of Punjab is embarking on a series of new initiatives to achieve the ends from the point of view of Punjab.” Of Punjab’s upcoming initiatives, adventure tourism, water tourism and caravan tourism topped the list.
Talking in the context of the City Beautiful, Mr Rajiv Kaila, Chairman, CII Chandigarh & Director, Kaila Engineering Pvt Ltd said, “Chandigarh must explore collaboration with neighbouring states to create integrated tourist circuits that will mutually benefit the tourism growth of destinations in both states. In parallel, there will need to be a focus on creating new tourism products that are oriented towards promoting lifestyle tourism to make it appealing for all segments.”
