India 'to become hub for spiritual and religious tourism'
DUBAI, January 9, 2022
India has the opportunity and potential to become a hub for spiritual and religious tourism, as the government is geared up and focused towards showcasing the strength of the religions and philosophies of the country to the world.
This was stated by Rupinder Brar, Additional DG, India's Ministry of Tourism, at a virtual session on the ‘Investment Opportunities in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality’ held during the ‘Tourism Fortnight’ at the India Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai.
“Tourism has exponential possibilities to boost the entire services industry in the next decade. Being the largest service industry of the country, it has a high impact on employment, export earnings and regional development and thus is a key engine of India’s growth story,” she added.
Making a strong pitch for investment opportunities available in the Indian tourism sector, Brar said: “Despite the pandemic, India saw an inflow of $2.93 billion of investment in tourism, as compared to $1.07 billion in the financial year 2019. In terms of the market size and business potential, there is a huge untapped business opportunity available in the tourism sector.”
Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board Addl. Managing Director Shilpa Gupta said: “The state of Madhya Pradesh is a microcosm of everything that India has to offer to the world. I would like to invite all the potential investors to come and invest in the tourism sector of the state.”
Odisha state Department of Tourism Director Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, in his virtual address, said that tourism is one of the key sectors for the state. It has a diverse tourism offering, starting from religious places to coastlines and wetlands to wildlife.
A session on Luxury Tourism was also organised by the Tourism Ministry wherein it focused on showcasing the changing face of sector in India, luxury tourist destinations across the country and initiatives taken by the Government to make travel safe and secure.
The session was attended by Brar as well as tourism officials of many state governments.-TradeArabia News Service
