TBM Staff - Mumbai The tourism scene in India has been established on the world forum and the ministries of the Central and state governments need to work together “to build on this momentum and not to lost it” as India is set to become a global leader in the sector, said Aashish Gupta, CEO, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH).
Speaking during the HT Tourism Conclave 2023, Gupta said that India has been placed “formally” in the world scene in terms of tourism. Gupta also talked about how the industry has been recovering well from the impact of the pandemic but still “has a long way to go”.
“I think we are formally placed in terms of branding our travel destinations and it’s now …. the (tourism) industry and the government… not just the ministry of tourism but other ministries in the central and with the state government… (they) need to work together to ensure that we build on this momentum and not lose it,” he said in HT Tourism conclave. “The tourism industry had to go through a lot due to the pandemic but it is recovering well and we have a long way to go,” he added.
“I think we are set to become a global leader in tourism,” he said.
Talking about the steps needed to boost the sector, Gupta said, “First… our branding after the G20 Summit needs to build on that. We need to tap our key source markets with an intensive marketing campaign. We’re getting into the season right now and it’s very important. If we had 11 billion foreign tourists in 2019, we need to surpass that. But we are already halfway down the line, so the first and foremost important thing is our marketing campaign… (which) needs to be very intense”.
The second key aspect, he said, is “to ensure that the Ministry of Tourism is fully integrated with civil aviation, roads and railways, so that we can take advantage of all these”.
Talking about the importance of last mile connectivity, he said, “Even if we have good destinations, the last mile connectivity is missing. So even if you have infrastructure, the last mile connectivity needs to be seen from a tourism perspective”.
He added, “The third aspect is the need to work on policies to ensure we are a cleaner country.”
