India, with its rich cultural heritage and diverse tourist destinations, holds tremendous potential for tourism growth. Currently, tourism contributes around 5% to the country’s economy. But India has an ambitious plan to double this contribution within the coming years, transforming it into a major player in the global tourism market. This ambitious vision is not just a dream; India is actively laying the groundwork to turn this goal into reality.
The Ministry of Tourism’s Additional Secretary, Suman Billa, outlines a multi-pronged strategy to achieve this goal. The plan focuses on key areas like easing congestion at popular tourist spots, developing new travel destinations, expanding airline capacity, and enhancing visitor experiences.
Addressing the issue of overcrowding at popular destinations like the Kashi-Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi and Ayodhya, India is investing in destination development. The country is also implementing tourist registration systems in specific locations to manage visitor flow and prevent overtourism during peak travel periods. While these efforts are promising, Billa emphasizes the need for a broader approach to address congestion across the country. To avoid the negative impacts of overtourism, India must prioritize emerging travel hotspots and develop new destinations to create a balanced tourism landscape.
In recent years, the Indian government has recognized the importance of expanding tourism beyond established sites. The budget has allocated substantial resources to develop new destinations, particularly in regions with significant spiritual and religious significance, such as Bihar and Odisha. These regions boast rich historical significance and hold immense potential for tourism growth. The government is focusing on these regions to provide diverse travel experiences and prevent overtourism at traditional tourist hotspots like Rajasthan and Kerala.
The aviation sector plays a crucial role in facilitating tourism. India is witnessing a remarkable surge in domestic airline capacity, almost doubling from 8 million in 2014 to 15.6 million in 2024. This growth places India as the third-largest domestic aviation market globally. Airlines like Air India and IndiGo are aggressively expanding their international routes, while new entrants like Akasa Air further enhance the country’s aviation capacity. Despite this growth, the demand for air travel continues to outpace supply, highlighting the need for continued investment in airline capacity. The expansion of existing airlines, entry of new players, and significant fleet upgrades are essential steps to ensure the tourism sector can meet its growth objectives.
Alongside expanding airline capacity, India is focusing on infrastructure development, especially in building new airports. The number of airports in India has more than doubled since 2014, increasing from 74 to 157. This significant expansion improves connectivity across the country, particularly in underserved regions. New airports not only reduce congestion at major hubs but also open up access to emerging tourist destinations. Improved air connectivity to lesser-known regions encourages tourists to explore beyond traditional tourist circuits, further driving tourism growth.
These strategies could propel tourism’s contribution to India’s GDP to at least 10%, a significant leap from the current 5%. While India is on track to achieve this goal, sustained investment in infrastructure, destination development, and the aviation sector remains crucial. Domestic tourism has shown remarkable strength, but international tourist arrivals haven’t yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Even before the pandemic, the number of inbound tourists to India was less than 11 million annually. Last year, inbound tourism generated $30 billion in revenue for India.
Dipak Deva, managing director of Travel Corporation India, believes that focusing on tourism revenue, rather than just the number of tourist arrivals, will provide a more accurate measure of the success of India’s tourism sector.
India’s rich history and cultural heritage make it a prominent destination for heritage tourism, particularly within Asia. Despite the popularity of India’s historical sites, visitor experiences at these locations often fall short of expectations. Suman Billa acknowledges the need for improvement and calls for greater collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to enhance facilities and services at these sites. To elevate the visitor experience, Billa suggests incorporating fine dining options, entertainment, and modern amenities at heritage sites. This comprehensive approach will attract more visitors, encourage longer stays, and generate more tourism revenue.
While India has a comprehensive domestic tourism strategy, international promotion of the country’s tourism offerings has been lacking. India has not fully tapped into its potential for inbound tourism due to a lack of global promotion. Earlier this year, the Indian government significantly slashed the global marketing budget for tourism, hindering efforts to attract international visitors. Given the global competition for tourism, India must invest in effective marketing campaigns to showcase its diverse offerings to the world. From spiritual tourism and heritage sites to adventure travel and wellness retreats, India has something to offer every type of traveler. Without a strong global marketing push, India may struggle to reach its full tourism potential.
India’s plan to double tourism’s contribution to its economy is ambitious but achievable. The country is laying the groundwork for significant growth by focusing on easing congestion, developing new destinations, expanding airline capacity, and enhancing visitor experiences. However, global promotion and marketing efforts must be a top priority for India to truly succeed in its tourism goals. By focusing on both domestic and international markets, India can become one of the world’s top tourism destinations in the years to come.
