Arrivals Of Foreign Tourist In India Jump 166 Per Cent In January-April Period: Tourism Minister

Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said after the Covid-19 pandemic, foreign tourist arrivals in India have increased

Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday said the number of foreign tourists who arrived in India this year during January-April is 166 per cent more than the figures for the corresponding period in 2022, reported the PTI. Reddy said this in his address at the inaugural session of the fourth G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting in Panaji. He also said that after the Covid-19 pandemic, foreign tourist arrivals in India have increased. "The number of foreign tourists who arrived in India this year during January-April is 166 per cent higher than the figures for the corresponding period in 2022," Reddy said. "India's inbound travel is expected to reach to pre-pandemic levels in 2023," the minster said. 

Reddy, later at a press conference, said it was a "matter of happiness" that the concluding meeting of the TWG is taking place in Goa. "India is hosting over 200 G20 meetings at 55 locations across the country. It is happening with 'janbhagidari' (people's cooperation). And, tourism sector is benefitting the most from these meetings," he said.

According to the report, the minister said in keeping with the philosophy of 'Atithi Devo Bhav', India is hosting G20 delegates with great warmth. "Each of these delegates... we want them to go back as ambassadors of India". He said the G20 meetings are taking place across the country "akin to a festival".

During the TWG meeting on Tuesday, sustainable tourism, climate change, among other subjects were discussed. The fourth and the final meeting is discussing various challenges that tourism sector is facing globally. Reddy urged the global community to work together to build a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism sector.

India is currently chairing the G20, and "mother of democracy" and "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", are also one of the key taglines used by the central government in its posters and other visuals means of comunication on it.

The minister said that currently the Indian government has two priorities: sustainable infrastructure creation, to cater to the growing needs of  the  tourists,  and raising awareness among the tourists,  for responsible consumption and adoption of an environmentally conscious lifestyle and through the launch of the "G20 Tourism and SDG Dashboard, a legacy has been created".

The dashboard being developed, shall promote policies and initiatives by the G20 countries, and guest countries in building a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient sector, he said.

A thematic discussion on 'Making India a Hub for Cruise Tourism' was also organised in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) was also held on Tuesday during the event. At the end of the fourth Tourism Working Group Meeting and the G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting, a Goa Road map and Action Plan and a ministerial communique endorsing the road map will be issued.

"At the end of our working group meeting and the ministerial meeting, we are going to declare a Goa Roadmap and Action Plan for tourism as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs)," a senior official said.  Under India's G20 Tourism Track, the TWG is working on five inter-connected priority areas — green tourism, digitisation, skills, tourism MSMEs and destination. These priorities are key building blocks for accelerating the transition of the tourism sector and achieve the targets for 2030 SDGs.

Also, there will be a "ministerial communique" that will be released at the end of the tourism working group and other deliberations which will endorse the Goa road map. The first Tourism Working Group Meeting of the G20 was held at Runn of Kutch in Gujarat followed by the second one at Siliguri and Darjeeling in West Bengal, and the third one was hosted in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.