Ankkit Bahadur says that we need a 360 degree approach towards tourism

The launch of several branding and marketing initiatives by the Government of India such as ‘Incredible India!’ and ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ have provided a focused impetus to growth.

India has always been a large market for travel and tourism as it offers a diverse portfolio of niche products - cruises, adventure, medical, wellness, sports, MICE, eco-tourism, film, rural and religious tourism.

Ankkit Bahadur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech urged people to visit 15 domestic tourist destinations in India by 2022 to promote tourism.

The neglected tourism industry has got a shot in the arm with the measures that the government has introduced in the recent budget. These measures are aimed at taking the earnings from the sector to US $ 50 billion from US$ 28.6 billion in 2018. The total contribution by travel and tourism sector to India’s GDP is expected to increase to ₹32,05,000 crore (US$ 492.21 billion) in 2028 from ₹15,24,000 crore (US$ 234.03 billion) in 2017.

With India was ranked 34th in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 published by the World Economic Forum.

The Government of India is working to achieve a two per cent share by 2025.

Businessman & Restaurateur Ankkit Bahadur says India tourism has often been neglected, the enormous potential and the sheer size and expanse of our country gives us the opportunity to satisfy all kinds of travel & tourism.

We need to learn from countries like the UAE that have a far more coordinated & an integrated 360 degree approach towards tourism, and the result is for the world to see.

Metro’s becoming round the clock will also help tourism, it will boost the hospitality industry in particular and strengthen the entire value chain.

The pandemic has brought the focus back to local travel, people are far more open to exploring and travelling within India which is wonderful, there is a need to capitalize on it and keep the momentum going, there couldn’t be a better time to showcase what we have.

Under the Union Budget 2019-20, the government has also announced the development of 17 iconic tourist sites in India into world-class destinations as well as introduced a Tax Refund for Tourists (TRT) scheme similar to countries like Singapore to encourage tourists to spend more in India.

The Government has also been making serious efforts to boost investments in the tourism sector. In the hotel and tourism sector a five-year tax holiday has been offered for 2, 3- and 4-star category hotels located around UNESCO World Heritage sites (except Delhi and Mumbai).

The launch of several branding and marketing initiatives by the Government of India such as ‘Incredible India!’ and ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ have provided a focused impetus to growth.

The Indian government has also released a fresh category of visa - the medical visa or M visa, to encourage medical tourism in the country.

In October 2018 the Statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also known as ‘Statue of Unity’, was inaugurated as a tourist attraction. The statue being the tallest in the World standing at a height of 182 metre was expected to boost the tourism sector in the country and put India on the world tourism map. With over 29 lakh tourists having visited the Statue of Unity since it was inaugurated the numbers are extremely encouraging and the total revenues have crossed ₹82.51 crore (US$ 11.81 million).

While a lot still needs to be done but the numbers have been extremely encouraging and the next few years could potentially see a dynamic shift towards local tourism and unravel a golden chapter of Indian Tourism.

Disclaimer: This is a company press release. No HT journalist was involved in the creation of this content.