Lok Sabha Question No. 2375 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-18
Subject: Identification of Mega-Trends to Shape Tourism Sector
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Kani K. Navas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2375 ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023

## IDENTIFICATION OF MEGA-TRENDS TO SHAPE TOURISM SECTOR

## 2375.SHRI K. NAVASKANI:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  country's  tourism  industry  is  on  track  to  reach  USD  1 trillion by 2047;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (c)    the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to identify mega-trends  expected  to  shape  the  tourism  sector  over  the  next decade?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM                                   (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a) to (c): As per the study 'India and the Coronavirus Pandemic: Economic  Losses  for  Households  Engaged  in  Tourism  and  Policies  for Recovery', conducted by Ministry of Tourism, it is expected that tourism economy,  in  terms  of  tourism  expenditure,  will  regain  its  pre-pandemic level  by  2024-25,  primarily  driven  by  domestic  tourism  and  it  is  likely  to grow by 4 times the pre-pandemic level, by 2028-29.

The  contribution  of  tourism  to  Gross  Domestic  Product  (GDP)  of  the country is given below:

| Indicator                      |     2019-20 | 2020-21   |   2021-22 |
|--------------------------------|-------------|-----------|-----------|
| Total Tourism GDP (Rs. crore)  | 1.04175e+06 | 297432.99 | 415689    |
| Total Tourism share in GDP (%) | 5.18        | 1.50*     |      1.77 |

Source: National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) computations  using  National  Account  Statistics  2023  and  Third  Tourism Satellite Account - 2015-16.

*The decline in the share of tourism GDP and tourism employment is due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Tourism has taken several measures to give boost to the tourism sector and in turn increase its contribution to country's economy and generate employment opportunities through tourism details are given in the Annexure.

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STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2375 ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023 REGARDING IDENTIFICATION OF MEGA-TRENDS TO SHAPE TOURISM SECTOR BY SHRI K. NAVASKANI

- i. Development of tourism related infrastructure through projects sanctioned  under  the  Swadesh  Darshan  Scheme.  The  Ministry  of Tourism  has  revamped  its  Swadesh  Darshan  Scheme  as  Swadesh Darshan  2.0  (SD2.0)  with  the  objective  to  develop  sustainable  and responsible  destinations  following  a  tourist  &  destination  centric approach.
- ii. Development of tourism related infrastructure through projects sanctioned under the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme.
- iii. Dekho Apna Desh initiative launched with the objective to encourage
4. citizens to travel within the country.
- iv. Thematic tourism like wellness tourism, culinary tourism, rural, ecotourism,  etc.  amongst  other  niche  subjects  are  promoted  so  as  to expand the scope of tourism into other sectors as well.
- v. Ministry of Tourism promotes Niche Tourism products such as Cruise, Adventure,  Medical  and  Wellness,  Golf,  Polo,  Meetings  Incentives Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE), Eco-tourism, Film Tourism, Sustainable  Tourism  and  Rural  Tourism  to  overcome  the  aspect  of 'seasonality' and to promote India as a 365 days' destination.
- vi. On the request of the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of External Affairs has  designated  Tourism  Officers  in  20  Indian  Missions  overseas  for promoting India as a tourism destination in these important markets.
- vii.  Providing facility of e-Visa for seven sub-categories i.e. e-Tourist Visa, e-Business Visa, e-Medical Visa, e-Medical Attendant Visa, EConference  Visa, e-Ayush Visa and e-Ayush Attendant Visa for
9. nationals of 167 countries.
- viii. E-Visa  has  been  liberalized  and  the  visa  fee  has  been  substantially reduced.
- ix. Lowering of GST on hotels rooms with tariffs of ₹1,001 to ₹7,500/night to 12%; those above ₹7,501 to 18% to increase India's competitiveness as a tourism destination.
- x. Ministry  of  Tourism  has  collaborated  with  Ministry  of  Civil  Aviation under  their  RCS-UDAN  Scheme.  As  on  date,  53  tourism  routes  have been operationalized to improve air connectivity to tourist destinations in the country.
- xi. Ministry  of  Tourism  is  running  Pan-India  Incredible  India  Tourist Facilitator (IITF) Certification Program, a digital initiative that aims at creating an Online learning platform with the objective of creating a
14. pool of well trained and professional Tourist Facilitators/Guides across

the country and generating employment opportunities at local level. xii.  Conducting  Programmes  under  the  'Capacity  Building  for  Service Providers' (CBSP) Scheme to train and up-grade manpower to provide better service standards.

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