BL Interview. There is still so much to explore and experience in India’s tourism sector: Tourism Minister

G Kishan Reddy: I believe that there is still so much to explore and experience in India’s tourism sector. Even today, only 5-10 per cent of our destinations are explored, and our monuments and coastlines are waiting to be discovered. Though there are budget constraints that have kept us from properly caring for and promoting these treasures, our government is determined to prioritise tourism and encourage private investment in the industry. With these efforts, we hope to create a thriving and exciting tourism sector that showcases the best of India’s rich heritage and culture.

Arvind Singh: Domestic travel is thriving, and we are seeing a positive trend in inbound travel, which is increasing every year. Forex earnings are also increasing every month, which is a good sign for the travel industry. We are optimistic that the FTAs will reach pre-Covid levels by the end of this year.

I have a feeling we will cross pre-Covid level numbers given the impact of the G20 and the momentum in this calendar year. 

Reddy: There is no impact in India at the moment. We have confidence in the Covid vaccination. It is business as usual, we do not foresee an impact. 

Reddy: We have pinpointed the top 20 countries that generate the highest number of FTA and adopted a comprehensive approach to attract them. The entire tourism industry is working towards this goal, and we have stationed officers at various embassies to facilitate the process. We are closely following the guidelines provided by the Prime Minister’s office and have requested the Foreign Ministry to allow us to station officers in additional embassies. We are expecting approval soon. Our strategy to promote tourism will be all-encompassing, using both digital and offline platforms.

Reddy: Even we are asking for it. We have readied a file, and it is likely to be accepted by the cabinet with a focus on overseas promotion. 

Singh: Post Covid, there has been an uptick in wellness tourism, nature tourism, and adventure tourism. However, India’s strengths are cultural, spiritual, beach, and monument tourism. We will focus on accentuating those parts of the country as well.

Singh: The Ministry had proposed 50 tourism routes, and currently, 51 have been put into operation. In addition, there is a need for more airstrips and heliports, some of which are inaccessible while others are of significant tourist value. Hence, the Tourism Ministry is collaborating with the Civil Aviation Ministry to develop and promote them.

Singh: Today, we have 165 countries where Visa on Arrival is approved. As and when country cases come up, we will continue to review and include them but one thing is for sure that the numbers will not go down. The motive is to make travel easier if there are no security constraints.

Singh: This is a Civil Aivaiton matter, we haven’t written regarding the same. We know that civil aviation will continue to grow. 

Reddy: We have moved a file with the cabinet on the same, and along with the national tourism policy, this issue too will be resolved soon. 

Reddy: I personally believe that reducing entry fees at monuments can benefit the tourism industry. We have proposed to various State governments to align the fees for domestic tourists. We need to focus on generating revenue for the tourism industry beyond just the collection of fees at monuments.