Boosting leisure tourism in India

Subhasish Mitra (Wide Angle)

India recorded 9.52 million Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in 2023, reflecting a 47.90% increase compared to 2022, as per data from the Bureau of Immigration.

 

The number of FTAs for Leisure, Holiday, and Recreation in 2023 was 4.40 million, registering an 86.96% growth compared to 2022. Similarly, FTAs for Business and Professional purposes stood at 0.98 million in 2023, marking a 49.66% increase from the previous year.

 

FTAs have recovered to 87.1% of the pre-pandemic levels closely aligning with the global recovery rate of 88.8% and surpassing the Asia-Pacific region's recovery rate of 65.4%.

 

The growth in Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) is mainly driven by the post-pandemic revival of global travel and increasing confidence in India as a diverse and culturally rich destination.

 

Enhanced air connectivity has improved accessibility to key tourist spots, while continuous development of tourism infrastructure has elevated the visitor experience.

 

Additionally, targeted domestic and international marketing campaigns have strengthened India's global appeal, positioning it as a premier destination for travelers worldwide.

 

Ministry of Tourism has taken several measures/initiatives over the years to increase tourist arrivals in the country, details of which are:

 

●       The Ministry of Tourism under the schemes of ‘Swadesh Darshan’, ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’ and ‘Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development’ provides financial assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations/Central Agencies for the development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities at various tourism destinations in the country.

 

●       Ministry of Tourism through its various campaigns and events promotes various tourism destinations and products of India in domestic and international markets. Some of the initiatives are Dekho Apna Desh campaign, Chalo India campaign, International Tourism Mart, Bharat Parv.

 

●       The Incredible India Content Hub was launched which is available in the public domain. Promotions are also carried out through the web-site – www.incredibleindia.org and social media handles of the Ministry.

 

●       Thematic tourism like wellness tourism, culinary tourism, rural, eco-tourism, etc. amongst other niche subjects are promoted so as to expand the scope of tourism into other sectors as well.

 

●       Enhance the overall quality and visitor experience through initiatives focused on capacity building, skill development such as ‘Capacity Building for Service Providers’ ‘Incredible India Tourist Facilitator’ (IITF), 'Paryatan Mitra' and 'Paryatan Didi’.

 

●       For improving air connectivity to important tourist destinations, Ministry of Tourism has collaborated with Ministry of Civil Aviation under their RCS-UDAN Scheme. As on date, 53 tourism routes have been operationalized.

 

●       e-Visa scheme is now available to 167 countries and it is available for 9 sub-categories:

 

i.        e-Tourist Visa

 

ii.       e-Business Visa

 

iii.      e-Medical Visa

 

iv       e-Conference Visa

 

v.       e-Medical Attendant Visa

 

vi.      e-Ayush Visa

 

vii.     e-Ayush Attendant Visa

 

viii.   e- Student Visa

 

ix.      e-Student X Visa

 

The Ministry of Tourism had earlier been working towards formulating a draft National Tourism Policy with a view to keep the sector updated with the latest developments. However, in due course of time, elements and action areas highlighted in the draft policy document have been suitably incorporated in all the schemes and guidelines and Ministry is open to continuous engagement with all stakeholder. In view of this, it dropped the idea of having a separate tourism policy at this point in time.

 

Various schemes, programs, and initiatives, such as Swadesh Darshan, Challenge Based Destination Development, PRASHAD, Dekho Apna Desh, Chalo India, Meet in India, Paryatan Mitra/Paryatan Didi, Hunar Se Rozgar Tak etc. have been actively addressing issues related to the tourism promotion and development, industry competitiveness, skill development, tourism infrastructure development, sustainability etc.

 

The Ministry has also been working in close coordination with relevant stakeholders, including other Central Ministries, State/UT Governments and Tourism & Hospitality industry, ensuring a whole-of-government approach for sectoral growth.

 

At present, the focus remains on strengthening and effectively implementing these ongoing initiatives rather than formulating a separate policy document.

 

The Ministry continues to monitor the evolving needs of the tourism sector and remains open to further enhancements in alignment with national priorities and stakeholder inputs.

 

Development and promotion of tourism are undertaken in the rural and backward areas by the respective State Government/Union Territory (UT) Administration. The Ministry complements the efforts of States/UTs by developing and promoting various tourism products of the country.

 

The Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to state and UTs for the development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities at various tourism destinations in the country, including in the rural and backward areas.

 

The Ministry has revamped Swadesh Darshan Scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible destinations following a destination centric approach.

 

The Government of India during the current financial year i.e. 2024-25 has sanctioned 40 projects in 23 States for Rs.3,295.76 crore under ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) – Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale’ Scheme.