Tag Archives: Mugdha Sinha

At a recent PATA forum, Mugdha Sinha, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, GoI, delivered a compelling message to the country’s travel trade. She emphasised to empower Indian tour operators, convert global partners into India ambassadors and think beyond destinations by thinking of markets. Sinha called on tourism associations to offer consistent, high-quality training to equip Indian tour operators with deeper knowledge of their own country. “It is not just about showcasing India. It is about understanding it well enough to package it meaningfully,” she said.

In a powerful call to action for India’s travel trade, Mugdha Sinha, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, has urged tour operators and travel agents to rethink the role of associations and demand greater value for their membership fees. Speaking at the PATA forum, Sinha emphasised that associations must evolve into data-driven knowledge hubs, aggregating market insights, consumer trends, and geopolitical travel shifts to truly serve their members in today’s dynamic environment. “Membership fees—whether high or low—should come with tangible returns. Associations must become aggregators of information. We used to buy such data while negotiating trade deals. Today, travel agents need that same level of insight—what kind of travellers are coming, from where, and what they want to experience,” she said.

Mugdha Sinha, Director General, Ministry of Tourism said that the country is likely to witness its next peak in foreign tourist arrivals in 2028-2029. She added that over the next three years, the government is investing ₹120 billion ($1.4 billion) in developing infrastructure creating only alternative and detour destinations.

While addressing the 3rd edition of ‘Virasat,’ Mugdha Sinha, DG, Ministry of Tourism, GoI, said, “There is a ‘symbiotic relationship’ between culture and tourism and the latter pillion rides on cultural assets as destination pullers. Culture and tourism are the two sides of the same coin, like Janus, the Roman god.” She noted India attracted 1.45 per cent of global tourists in 2023.

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.

Keeping with the Indian tourism industry’s objective of positioning India as a global tourism brand, Mugdha Sinha, DG, Tourism, GoI, urged the tourism stakeholders to work together with the government while inviting them to come up with a draft of code of best practices and ethics by 27 September which is ‘World Tourism Day’ so that the MOT will try to adopt it and advertise and popularise it.”