Tag Archives: Suman Billa

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Tourism, has been appointed as the new Director General, Tourism and has replaced Mugdha Sinha. According to recent appointments released by Department of Personnel and Training, Sinha has now taken over as Managing Director, India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

“India’s regional airports can unlock new destinations and democratise travel. If we connect them with well-crafted, thematic tourism circuits, we can drive demand beyond the usual hotspots,” said Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. He urged closer alignment between the UDAN scheme and tourism promotion strategies. “Every small airport should become a launchpad for a unique Indian experience,” he added.

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, GoI, said, “From predictive analytics to smart visitor management, digital innovation will define the next era of travel.” He emphasised on government’s push for tech-driven solutions, citing opportunities for collaboration between startups, airlines and tourism bodies.

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, GoI, said, “Tourism is all about access, and aviation provides that access on scale and speed. By aligning the National Air Connectivity Plan with the National Tourism Development Plan, the synergy could be transformative.” He emphasised that aviation and tourism must collaborate as twin engines to double the sector’s GDP contribution from 5 per cent to 10 per cent in the coming decade.

Highlighting that an India Tourism Stack can establish India as the world’s most seamless and digitally advanced travel destination, Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, MOT, said, “It is time for policymakers, industry leaders, and digital innovators to come together and build the India Tourism Stack — a public good that can catalyse inclusive economic growth and elevate India’s global tourism stature.”

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, said, “One of the targets we could perhaps place for ourselves is how to double tourism’s GDP contribution from 5% to 10% in the next ten years and probably add 25 million jobs in the next five years.” He emphasised the need for strategic efforts to achieve this growth.

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, GoI believes that a well-thought-out policy framework is essential to address existing challenges in the tourism sector. “We should undertake carrying capacity studies to assess factors such as vehicular traffic, room availability, waste management, disaster resilience, etc.,” he added.

Suggesting that India has to create an enabling environment for the market forces to unleash with aggression in terms of investments in the sector to realise the sector’s true potential, Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, MOT, said, “Tourism currently contributes 5.6% to the country’s GDP which is quite low. The task is to double it in the next 10 years by encouraging market forces to invest aggressively in the sector.”

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, inaugurated FHRAI’s Centre of Excellence in New Delhi. Billa, said, “It will create a comprehensive data ecosystem and play a vital role in generating analytical insights that can guide government policy and help us better support the industry.”

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, MOT, has said that India could have one taskforce that looks at the ‘macro side’ picture, but there is also a need to have four or five taskforces that work on sector-specific issues. “I think there is a clear case for making four or five taskforces, but we will figure out how to structure them,” he said.