Category Archives: MOT

During the 18th CII Annual Tourism Summit, Mugdha Sinha, DG, Ministry of Tourism, GoI, said that infrastructure is the scaffold that holds the tourism sector together. “But it is actually how we position ourselves. So, I think the framing of the idea of Incredible India as a tourism product needs to get better,” she added.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Tourism, urges the tourism industry to create a document on reinstating the Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) in a new format. During Cll Tourism Summit he said, “I will discuss with the Finance Minister and PM on reinstating the incentive given on Forex earned by tour operators.”

Supply is simply not keeping pace with demand, said Suman Billa, Additional Secy, MOT, adding, “Current estimates indicate that we have about 180,000 branded hotel rooms in the country, including those under development. However, if you factor in the latent demand—such as the 470 million-plus domestic travellers and incoming international tourists—the numbers suggest we should already have double that capacity. Not five years from now, but today. Unless we address the supply side immediately, we risk missing the tourism opportunity altogether.”

Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa India underlined the need to create and legislate destination management at the 18th CII Annual Tourism Summit 2024. He said, “India needs to create and legislate on destination management. I believe we are currently riding the wave of domestic tourism, but we need to move beyond this. Domestic tourism will have its ups and downs, so our focus must shift to international tourism, especially targeting the upper end of the market. High-value tourism will deliver greater unit value realization for hotels, which will require top-quality destination management.”

Seeking to attract investments worth Rs 15,000 crore and position Telangana among top five states in domestic and international tourist arrivals, the state government has tabled its ‘Telangana Tourism Policy 2025-2030’. The first-ever dedicated tourism policy, after the formation of Telangana, also aims to create additional employment opportunities for three lakh people in the next five years besides enhancing tourism contribution to 10% or higher of the Gross State Domestic Product.

Highlighting the efforts being made to make tourism an integral part of building a ‘Viksit Bharat’, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Tourism, Govt of India, said a total of 76.17 million jobs have been created in the tourism sector along with launching programs like Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi. Foreign exchange earnings are estimated to be $28.07 billion, marking a 42.53% increase compared to 2014.

As per a MICE study carried out in 2019 sponsored by Ministry of Tourism, the market size of the India MICE industry is at Rs.37,576 crore, 60% of which is attributable to Meetings, Incentives and Conferences. The international MIC in this accounts for 22% of the market size. 65% are business to business events, and the Meetings & Incentives form roughly 70% of the entire MICE segment for 5-star properties. Ministry of Tourism identified MICE as one of the important segments of Tourism. Ministry has also formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for MICE Industry to promote the growth of MICE industry in the country including Haryana and Delhi NCR.

At its 16th annual convention, ATOAI launched the Roadmap & Toolkit for Arunachal Pradesh, positioning it as a model for sustainable adventure tourism. Aimed at enhancing its identity as the “Last Shangri-La,” the initiative integrates ecological, cultural, and technological advancements, promising a balanced approach to promote pristine experiences while preserving local heritage.

Officials from the Ministry of Tourism informed that Indians recommending a visit to India to their non-Indian friends will be rewarded if the trip gets materialised. Such Indians on their return may be received at the airport by the ministry representatives. Now, Indians abroad can register and claim rewards at ‘Chalo India’ portal.

Speaking at UP Tourism’s ‘Mahakumbh 2025 Prelude’ event, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Tourism Minister, GoI, said, “We see the Mahakumbh as an opportunity for cultural exchange.” He invited global tourists to experience world’s largest spiritual gathering, scheduled to be held from 14 January-26 February 2025 in Prayagraj.