Centre banks on this new policy to strengthen tourism sector

India has declared that it will provide five lakh (500,000) free e-tourist visas to launch inbound travel, and the country is now opening up for international travel in a calibrated manner, according to a government release.

At the inaugural session of the 'Tourism Week' at the India Pavilion in Expo2020 Dubai, Rakesh Kumar Verma, additional secretary, Ministry of Tourism, said that all airports, railways, and road transport, as well as tour operators and hospitality operators, have taken adequate measures for public safety.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, is hosting a 'Tourism Week' from January 3rd to January 15th, which includes sessions presided over by leaders from the Ministry of Tourism and states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Odisha, and Arunachal Pradesh, among others.

The policy will establish five missions: the National Green Tourism Mission, the National Digital Tourism Mission, the Sectoral Mission on skill development, the National Mission on Destination Management, which will focus on ensuring synergy and coordination between public and private stakeholders, and the National Mission on Tourism MSMEs, which will support and facilitate start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises.

Various incentives and efforts will be launched by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with tourism stakeholders to encourage and facilitate travels to India, he said. Next year, India will host the G-20 summit, and several meetings on various topics will be held across the country in various places.

Travel and tourism are a critical sector of the Indian economy and has a significant contribution to the Indian economy, according to Aman Puri, the consul general of India in Dubai and deputy commissioner-general for India at Expo 2020 Dubai.

"By 2030, we are expecting this sector to contribute upwards of US$ 500 billion to our GDP. Expo 2020 Dubai is the first Expo in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) region, and Indian visitors are the largest in terms of visitors by nationality at the Expo.

He went on to say that tourism between India and the UAE is one of the busiest in the world, thanks to the 3.3 million Indian diasporas in the UAE. While UAE to India sees 50,000 tourists a year, UAE receives over 6 million Indian tourists.

"We would like to urge the Dubai Tourism Board to continue sharing India’s story and continue marketing various aspects of India’s tourism sector such as Sustainable, Spiritual, MICE to name a few," said Puri.

Hoor Al Khaja, associate vice president, international operations for the department of economy and tourism of Dubai said, Indian nationals form a very important part of the city's multinational fabric accounting for the largest proportion of the expatriate population in the UAE. "We are pleased to see that India’s iconic pavilion continues to be one of the most visited pavilions and a major attraction amongst visitors."

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.