The total expenditure by tourists may cross ₹4 lakh crore by the end of 2024, including both domestic and foreign, as per SBI Ecowrap. The Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme with other state govt initiatives will enhance the spiritual tourism in India.

UNWTO adopts UN Tourism as its new name signifying three main messages: the UN as a global altruistic organization, the notion of connecting humans around the world, and the concept of proactivity and movement. The rebrand also includes a revamp of the entire visual system.

South India has become the major contributor to the business of Thomas Cook (India) Limited. Bengaluru-Karnataka has emerged as the company’s top source market for the leisure segment. Romil Pant, Executive Vice President & Business Head – Holidays, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said, “We have launched a dedicated range of products to cater to the unique preferences of customers from this market and catalyze growth. We expect to see an uptick of 30% from Karnataka in 2024.”  

Venkatesan Dhattareyan, Regional Director, South, West & Central, Ministry of Tourism, GOI, said, “This year the National Tourism Day celebrations will be held across the country, the flagship event being the Bharat Parv, which is being held in Delhi. Besides that, the MOT has also been stressing on promoting lesser-known destinations. If you look at UDAN scheme, which has opened a new destination with flight connections etc., we see importance in pushing such lesser-known destinations. This will also take away the pressure from the mainstream destinations and these are places, which are interesting. We are looking forward to promote lesser known destinations through various events as well.”

M.P. Bezbaruah, Secretary General, HAI, said, “The selected theme for National Tourism Day is both imaginative and practical as it revolves around sustainability and sustainable journeys. This implies the need to develop destinations that prioritize sustainability while simultaneously creating timeless memories—an essence that encapsulates the experience of India. Importantly, the message of sustainable and responsible tourism should resonate with the public. I hope that Tourism Day will emphasize creating awareness among people regarding this theme.”

Pradeep Shetty, President, FHRAI, said, “What we need on national tourism day is a national tourism policy with a country wide focus on tourism, that can become a model for the states to follow, at least in terms of themes, larger policy related issue, existing tourism, and what can be done to encourage people to come into tourism, taking due note of how much employment is generated in tourism. In so far as locations are concerned there are a lot of locations. I think religious tourism looks very good. With infrastructure developing, many tier II, III cities have been given renewed energy now. More financial outlay is being given to tier II, III cities. Beach tourism also needs to be looked at with 7500km of coastline.”

Ajay Prakash, National President, TAFI, said, “Tourism is one of the biggest global industries and typically grows at a faster rate than GDP. Post-pandemic, Indian tourism has shown amazing resilience and recovery, especially in terms of outbound and domestic tourists. National Tourism Day is a day to celebrate the power of tourism to not only boost the economy, but to connect people across all boundaries. The two major challenges before the industry are geopolitics and climate change. Sustainability of the industry is a corollary of global peace and sustainability. On this National Tourism Day let us take a pledge to spread greater awareness of Tourism as a Force for Global harmony.”

Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO, said, “Tourism has become our blood stream. Led by our Hon’ble Prime Minister we the stakeholders breathe tourism. As the world opens up, India has positioned itself yet once again to be a vibrant destination with Ayodhya as the Spiritual Hub leading the pack. Ministry of Tourism synergizes our endeavour in both Domestic and International tourism, demand in diverse facets will grow in a geometric proportion, supply will rush to fill the gap catering to a sizable investment in tourism infrastructure.”

Shri Ram-Janaki Yatra, Shri Jagannath Yatra, Garvi Gujarat Tour, Ambedkar Circuit, and Northeast Tour were the most popular tourist circuits of 2023 as stated by Indian Railways. Last year saw almost 172 Bharat Gaurav trips, and approx. 96,491 tourists experienced the enriching trips.

TTC and Biosphere joined hands to promote sustainability in the hotel industry. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said, “The collaboration is a fundamental step towards international standardisation in sustainability, creating a clear and homogeneous pathway for the industry.”