Introduction
The Indian tourism and hospitality industry has emerged as one of the key drivers of growth among the services sector in India. Tourism in India has significant potential considering the rich cultural and historical heritage, variety in ecology, terrains and places of natural beauty spread across the country. Tourism is also a potentially large employment generator besides being a significant source of foreign exchange for the country. In FY20, 39 million jobs were created in the tourism sector in India; this accounted for 8.0% of the total employment in the country. The number is expected to rise by two% annum to 52.3 million jobs by 2028.
According to WTTC, India ranked 10th among 185 countries in terms of travel & tourism’s total contribution to GDP in 2019. During 2019, contribution of travel & tourism to GDP was 6.8% of the total economy, ~ Rs. 13,68,100 crore (US$ 194.30 billion).
Market Size
India is the most digitally advanced traveller nation in terms of digital tools being used for planning, booking, and experiencing a journey. India’s rising middle class and increasing disposable income has supported the growth of domestic and outbound tourism.
During 2019, foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India stood at 10.89 million, achieving a growth rate of 3.20% y-o-y. During 2019, FEEs from tourism increased 4.8% y-o-y to Rs. 1,94,881 crore (US$ 29.96 billion). In 2019, arrivals through e-Tourist Visa increased by 23.6% y-o-y to 2.9 million.
International hotel chains are increasing their presence in the country, and it will account for around 47% share in the tourism and hospitality sector of India by 2020 and 50% by 2022.
Investments
India was globally the third largest in terms of investment in travel and tourism with an inflow of US$ 45.7 billion in 2018, accounting for 5.9% of the total investment in the country.
Hotel and Tourism sector received cumulative FDI inflow of US$ 15.57 billion between April 2000 and September 2020.
Government Initiatives
The Indian Government has realised the country’s potential in the tourism industry and has taken several steps to make India a global tourism hub.
Some of the major initiatives planned by the Government of India to boost the tourism and hospitality sector of India are as follows:
Achievements
Following are the achievements of the Government during 2019-20:
Road Ahead
Staycation is seen as an emerging trend were people stay at luxurious hotels to revive themselves of stress in a peaceful getaway. To cater to such needs, major hotel chains such as Marriott International, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Oberoi hotels are introducing staycation offers were guests can choose from a host of curated experiences, within the hotel.
India’s travel and tourism industry has huge growth potential. The industry is also looking forward to the expansion of e-Visa scheme, which is expected to double the tourist inflow in India. India's travel and tourism industry has the potential to expand by 2.5% on the back of higher budgetary allocation and low-cost healthcare facility according to a joint study conducted by Assocham and Yes Bank.
Note: *in US$ terms
Note: Conversion rate used in December 2020, Rs. 1 = US$ 0.01357
References: Media Reports, Ministry of Tourism, Press Releases, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Press Information Bureau (PIB), Union Budget 2020-21
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.
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