According to Bookings.com, 2023 will see millennials planning more last-minute trips (53%) whilst older generations will take comfort in planning ahead as the best opportunity to get a good deal (Gen X 60% and Baby Boomers 54%). 

G Kishan Reddy, the Union Minister of Culture, Tourism, and DoNER, announced that the Department of Tourism will provide financial assistance to enhance port infrastructure and stimulate the growth of cruise tourism in India. 

Research by the World Travel & Tourism Council has revealed that within the next decade, Beijing will overtake Paris to become the world’s largest Travel & Tourism city destination.    

Naveen Kundu, Managing Director, EbixCash said, We have launched an entire cruise division. Cruises are going to be a big focus area for us this year and we are working with the government on various projects on this.” 

Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, said, “We have seen significant investment in the past. However, there was no investment in the last two years. GTIS is to rekindle interests of the investors in that sector and to show them the new areas or new products where there are possibilities of investment. 

We are pleased to announce the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the St. Petersburg Convention Bureau. This is a step forward after we had a similar agreement with the Moscow City Tourism Corporation, where we agreed to promote Russia as a MICE-friendly destination for all of the movement coming from India. This is a bilateral movement because this understanding will promote MICE both within and outside of India. And Russia is looking for increased participation from Indian stakeholders because, given the current geopolitical situation in the world, India is Russia’s preferred source market. Similarly, as inbound tourists to our country, Russians have always been preferred. 

Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, said that the two side events of the first Tourism Working Group Meeting of G-20 will be focusing on rural tourism and promotion of archaeological tourism. He said, “Rural tourism has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth, social change, and inclusive community development.”  

Sandeep Dwivedi, COO at ITQ, this year has witnessed an inclusive union budget release catering nearly all aspects of travel fraternity needs, giving impetus on infrastructure improvement to capital investment and not just economic but green growth. Initiatives such as pushing tourism to border villages, 50 additional airports, 2.40 lakh crores for railway sector -9 times higher compared to FY 13-14, will foster regional connectivity in the country. A 33% hike for last 3 years in capital investment of 10 lakh crores this year on infrastructure improvement, tourist guides information, high standards food streets and security of tourists is all we expected and included in the current budget announcement. However, there is no relief provided from any rationalism to exemption on foreign exchange earnings, rather 4 times increment in TCS on outbound travel from 5% to 20% is going to affect market growth. Strategic schemes like ‘Dekho Apna Desh’, ‘One district-One product’, and ‘Panchamrit’ are not limited to domestic upliftment. In my opinion, these schemes will create greater impact at the global level having vision in the direction of clean fuel clean environment leading to zero carbon emission by 2070. Dekho Apna Desh shall promote tourism to every corner in India targeting Indian citizens and foreign tourists. In fact, sanction of additional airports and investment in infrastructure is a step towards India’s long been dream of becoming a global aviation hub. Moreover, the vision of ‘Amrit Kaal’ is a hugely welcome step towards significant growth and development of India’s technology driven and knowledge based economy.

Ministry of Tourism will organize its first Tourism Working Group meeting from 7-9 February 2023 in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Secretary of Tourism, Arvind Singh said that in G20, there are 5 interrelated priority areas for tourism. Accordingly, the thrust will be on these five priority areas i.e. greening of the tourism sector, harnessing the power of digitisation, empowering youth with skills, nurturing tourism MSMEs/ startups, and rethinking the strategic management of destinations. 

Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, has informed that they are doing an Adventure Tourism summit during G20 as a side event. “The idea behind this summit will be to bring the focus of all international operators to India and show them the products in adventure. We are planning to bring 100 overseas operators for the same and ATOAI is working on the details for the same,” he said.