Central Govt Aims On Increasing Number Of Foreign Tourists In India 10 Times

New Delhi: The Ministry of Tourism of the Government of India on Saturday emphasized that the government is taking steps to increase tourism in the country, including efforts to bring the government and the stakeholders on one platform. The government is working strategically to ensure an increase in foreign tourists visiting India. Director General (DG) of the Ministry of Tourism, Mugdha Sinha, on Saturday talked briefly about the government’s plan to boost the tourism sector in the country, while talking to reporters during the closing of the three-day BLTM 2024 organized at Yashobhoomi Convention Center in Dwarka, Delhi.

While addressing the media personnel, Sinha said that the present figure of the foreign tourists visiting India is close to one crore annually. The government is mulling to take the number to 10 visitors annually during the period of ‘Amrit Kaal’.

Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj along with several other dignitaries were also present at the closing ceremony of the BLTM 2024. Talking to the reporters, he said that tourism is expanding rapidly in the country. The world is opening its doors for the people of India and an increase in tourism in the country comes with employment.

Satpal Maharaj further said that the country’s craft is being linked to travel tourism, which will add to employment opportunities for the citizens of India.

Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman of Fairfest Media Limited and the organizer of the expo, said that if the tourism sector in the country is to be strengthened further, then the country's railway network will have to be strengthened. The country has a very large railway network, which needs to be improved.

Agarwal further added that as per an estimate, India's MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism market will grow at a CAGR of 6 per cent between 2024 and 2029, which shows the increasing importance of MICE in the country's tourism industry.

According to the Indian Exhibition Industry Association, the value of the tourism industry was US dollar 709 million in 2019, and according to an estimate, it will grow at a CAGR of 10.25 per cent to reach USD 1,283 million by 2025. Notably, the BLTM 2024 Expo held at Yashobhoomi is the largest-ever edition of the MICE show in India with over 500 exhibitors from several countries and 21 Indian states and the Union Territories.

The official participants at BLTM 2024 include 5 National Tourism Organizations, 7 State Tourism Boards and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. This edition was the largest-ever edition of BLTM with over 10,000 travel trade professionals and 150 MICE planners among others.