World Tourism Day 2024

Cuisines, culture, people, and heritage have long been essential in shaping economies and societies, making tourism a key driver of any country’s development. It is crucial in fostering global understanding, creating jobs, and driving inclusive growth. To make India a global travel destination, India has set an ambitious target of a USD 3 trillion tourism economy by 2047.

The theme for World Tourism Day 2024, ‘Tourism and Peace,’ emphasizes the vital connection between tourism and peacebuilding. It emphasizes how travel, cultural exchange, and sustainable tourism practices can contribute to conflict resolution, reconciliation, and the promotion of global peace.

 World Tourism Day is celebrated annually on September 27 to commemorate the adoption of the UNWTO’s (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) statutes in 1970. The day aims to raise awareness of tourism’s role in international cooperation, sustainable development, and fostering cultural exchange. Each year, a specific theme addresses current trends and challenges in the sector. In 2024, Georgia will host World Tourism Day, showcasing its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, and dedication to sustainable tourism practices.

The Ministry of Tourism celebrated World Tourism Day with the theme “Tourism and Peace.” The event was graced by the Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar who emphasised the importance of achieving excellence in hospitality and service. He highlighted India’s transformation 

with world-class infrastructure, doubling of airports, and enhanced connectivity, which will significantly impact tourism. Shri Dhankhar also stressed tourism’s role in economic growth, cultural exchange, and community development while congratulating the Best Tourism Villages Competition 2024 winners.

 On the occasion, the Vice President of India launched the following initiatives:

· Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi were piloted in six tourist destinations across India: Orchha (Madhya Pradesh), Gandikota (Andhra Pradesh), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Aizawl (Mizoram), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), and Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman & Nicobar Islands). The program aims to elevate the overall experience for tourists in destinations by having them meet ‘tourist-friendly’ people like cab driver, hotel staff etc have been trained to transform into proud Ambassadors and storytellers for their destination. Special emphasis is being placed on training women and youth to develop innovative tourism products and experiences such as heritage walks, food and craft tours, nature treks, homestays, and other destination-specific offerings.

• Best Tourism Village Winners: Best Tourism Villages Competition was introduced in 2023. The focus was to identify and recognize villages which preserve and promote cultural and natural assets through community-based values and commitment to sustainability in all aspects. This year, a total of 991 applications were received from 30 States and UTs, out of which 36 villages were recognised as winners across 8 categories of the Best Tourism Villages competition 2024.

· Incredible India Content Hub and Digital Portal: The revamped Incredible India digital portal Incredible India Content Hub was launched.

• Launch of Handbook for States/UTs to grant Industry Status to Tourism & Hospitality Sector

IOne of the oldest civilisations in the world, India is a mosaic of multicultural experiences. With a rich heritage and myriad attractions, the country is among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. To promote India as a premier global tourist destination, the Incredible India campaign was launched in 2002. It changed the paradigm of Indian Tourism with each passing year –

2005: “Atithi Devo Bhava” was introduced to encourage Indian citizens to treat tourists with hospitality, stressing cleanliness, friendliness, and safety for international visitors. It aims to improve the perception of India as a welcoming and tourist-friendly nation.

2017: Incredible India 2.0 was introduced with a focus on digital promotion and a revamped marketing strategy targeting niche segments like adventure, medical, and wellness tourism.

2022: The campaign celebrated two decades of promoting Indian tourism. New initiatives such as India@75 and various celebrations for the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav were integrated into tourism promotions.

 2024: Work on the expansion of Niche Tourism got started. Niche Tourism products were identified to overcome the tourist seasonality and to promote India as a 365-day tourist destination. This will help to attract tourists with specific interests and to ensure repeat visits for the unique products: Cruise, Adventure, Medical and Wellness, Golf, Polo, Meetings Incentives Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE), Eco-tourism, Film Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Rural Tourism.

 Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Programme has been available online since 1 January 2020. It is a digital initiative that aims to create an online learning platform and a pool of well-trained professional tourist facilitators across the country to support tourists.

The Incredible India campaign has evolved over two decades, continuously adapting to global trends and challenges while remaining a cornerstone of India’s tourism promotion efforts. Keep on adding new milestones to India’s Tourism Industry. INDIAN TOURISM: GLOBAL IMPRINT 

• 46^th UNESCO World Heritage Meeting: For the first time, India proudly hosted the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee Meeting, from 21st to 31st July 2024. This significant event marked a milestone in India’s longstanding association with the World Heritage Convention, which began in 1977.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 46th WHC session on 21 July 2024. In the inaugural session, in line with his vision of “Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi,” Prime Minister Modi announced a $1 million grant to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. This contribution will support capacity building, technical assistance, and conservation efforts, particularly benefiting Global South countries. 

• 43rd World Heritage Site: Moidams from Assam became India’s 43^rd World Heritage Site. Located in the Charaideo district of Assam, Moidams are sacred burial mounds of the Ahom dynasty, reflecting six centuries of cultural and architectural development.Five properties have been nominated as World Heritage Sites during the last five years. These include Dholavira (Harappan City), Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Santiniketan, India, Sacred Ensemble of Hoysalas and Moidams from Assam.

• Record-breaking international Arrivals: With 14.3 million international tourists in 2022 and $17.6 billion in revenue, India is fast becoming one of the world’s most sought-after travel destinations.                                                

INITIATIVES TO BOOST TH TOURISM SECTOR IN INDIA

1. Dekho Apna Desh initiative – Launched in 2020

Aims to encourage domestic travel by promoting India’s rich heritage and lesser-known destinations. Major efforts include:

• Webinars and on-ground promotions for lesser-known destinations.
• Digital booklet on 75 Incredible Sites under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Dekho Apna Desh – People’s Choice 2024 : Campaign launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 7^th March, 2024, which will end on 15^th October, 2024. This Campaign seeks public feedback on the best tourist attractions in India across various categories. On the basis of the result, the Ministry will develop the destinations in mission mode, contributing to India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047.

2. Vibrant Villages Programme – Launched on 15^th February, 2023

With a financial outlay of ₹4800 crore for the FY 2022-23 to 2025-26, it covers 2,963 selected villages in 19 districts of northern border in the border states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladakh, with 662 of them to be covered in the first phase. The objective of the programme is –

· To work on Comprehensive development of these villages to improve the quality of life of people.

· Promotion of tourism and culture by augmentation of various tourism-related infrastructure.

In its first phase, 25 vibrant villages out of a total of 662 villages were taken to promote tourism and development. In addition, One Model Tourism Route comprising 27 vibrant villages of Arunachal Pradesh (Bomdilla-Tawang route) will be developed.

3. Capacity Building for Service Providers (CBSP) Scheme: Launched in 2018

To provide various short-term skill courses in the field of Hospitality and Tourism for unorganized/organised sectors.

Following skilling, re-skilling and up-skilling programmes are conducted under the CBSP Scheme: –

• Hunar Se Rozgar Tak (HSRT)

• Entrepreneurship Programme

• Skill Testing & Certification

• Tourism Adventure Courses

• Linguistic Tourist Facilitators

• Tourism Awareness /Sensitization programme

• Destination Based Skill Development

4. 24×7 Multi-Lingual Tourist Info-Helpline is available for domestic and foreign tourists to provide support service in terms of information relating to Travel in India and to offer appropriate guidance to tourists in distress. The toll-free number 1800111363 or on a short code 1363 is available in 12 Languages, including 10 international languages (German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic), Hindi and English.

5. E-Tourist Visa (eTV): Launched in 2014 – It was launched to make travel to India trouble-free and unforgettable for foreign tourists. Initially for 43 countries, now extended to 76 nations, with plans to expand to 150 countries to boost foreign tourism.  

6. RCS–UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme- Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik): launched in 2016. Under RCS, UDAN Ministry of Tourism has collaborated with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Approximately 519 routes got operationalised under the scheme, including 53 tourism & 48 helicopter routes.

7. Swadesh Darshan Scheme: Launched in 2014-15 to complement the efforts of respective State Governments/UT Administrations for developing tourism facilities across the country and has sanctioned ₹5287.90 Crore for undertaking 76 projects. Further, Swadesh Darshan scheme was revamped as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations, following a destination & tourism-centric approach. Under the scheme till July 2024, Ministry identified 57 destinations across 32 States/UTs in the country for development including ‘Dholavira’ & ‘Dwarka’ in Gujarat, ‘Bundi (Keshoraipatan) & ‘Jodhpur’ in Rajasthan and ‘Sindhudurg’ & ‘Ajanta-Ellora (District Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)’ in Maharashtra. A project ‘Spiritual Experience, Keshoraipatan’ amounting Rs.17.37 crore also has been sanctioned in the State of Rajasthan under SD 2.0.

8. National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD): Launched in 2014-2015. It aims to integrate pilgrimage destinations in a prioritised, planned and sustainable manner to provide a complete religious tourism experience. The growth of domestic tourism hugely depends on pilgrimage tourism. Till December 2023, a total of 46 projects for an amount of Rs.1629.17 Crore have been sanctioned under the PRASHAD Scheme.

9. Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development Schemes for the development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities to provide an enriching tourism experience to the visitors. Till December 2023, a total of 54 projects for an amount of Rs.780.92 Crore have been sanctioned during the period 2014-15 to 2023-24 (till date) under the Assistance to Central Agencies Scheme.

10. National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), a central sector scheme with a total outlay of Rs. 500 Cr. was launched on 21^st January, 2015. It seeks to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country. Under the HRIDAY Scheme, funds have been allocated to the 12 cities for the entire Mission period and directly released to the cities.

11. Domestic Promotion & Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) Scheme was launched in 2019. Scheme’s main objective is to create a general awareness among the domestic population about the potential tourist destinations in the country. The Ministry through its 20 domestic India Tourism Offices located across the country, undertakes the promotional activities to promote India in a holistic manner which includes promotion of domestic/local tourism by raising awareness about local tourism products which include local religious and non-religious spots for the tourists coming from both outside and within the State.

    

12. Travel for LiFE Initiative was launched on 27^th September, 2023 to promote sustainable tourism in the country. Through mindful and deliberate actions mobilized toward tourists and tourism businesses in the consumption of tourism resources, Travel for LiFE aims to promote sustainable tourism in the country.

12. National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism: Launched on 4th June 2022 it has identified the strategic pillars (shown in the graphic) for development of sustainable tourism.

CONCLUSION

India’s tourism industry is on a promising trajectory, driven by the ambitious target of achieving a USD 3 trillion tourism economy by 2047 as part of the Viksit Bharat@2047. Despite facing certain challenges along the way, the sector continues to flourish, fueled by various strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing infrastructure, promoting sustainable practices, and enriching the overall visitor experience. With a commitment to overcoming obstacles and leveraging opportunities, India is well on its way to becoming a leading global travel destination.