Latest news with #GajendraSinghShekhawat
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Tourism sector to touch 10% of GDP by 2030: Shekhawat
New Delhi Union minister for tourism and culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Friday said the tourism sector's share of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would rise to 10% by 2030, in line with global benchmarks. The minister set out this ambitious target at the CII Annual Business Summit in New Delhi. The sector's share of GDP was 5% in 2022-23, according to a government release. 'India will align with global standards, with 10% of GDP coming from tourism,' Shekhawat said. He linked this goal to broader economic growth, noting, 'As our economy grows, parallelly our aspirational class will grow, and those people that have emerged from below the poverty line will commonly go for spiritual tourism.' The strategy involves leveraging India's rich cultural heritage and spiritual sites, alongside significant infrastructure development in roads, railways, and airports. The government is creating policies to enhance the overall tourist experience. Shekhawat cited the Ujjain Mahakal Corridor as an example, attracting over 1 million visitors in one month. A notable shift is the increasing importance of domestic tourists. 'India's domestic tourists have the potential to become a larger contributor to the country's tourism sector,' Shekhawat said, indicating a move away from past reliance on international visitors. Reflecting post-pandemic travel trends, the Centre is pushing states to develop experiential tourism at monument sites. 'We've asked the states to come up with new proposals,' Shekhawat confirmed, as travellers seek new experiences. The minister called for industry collaboration to build an end-to-end roadmap for both international and domestic travellers. 'Promote ease of doing travel in India — which would segue into ease of doing business in the country,' he urged. He specifically asked corporates to host events and meetings within India to boost the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) tourism segment. Infrastructure development, including recent projects in roads, aviation, and railways, is seen as foundational. Shekhawat acknowledged the need for increased flight capacity. He highlighted that granting infrastructure status to the sector will be key: 'The infrastructure status is going to give a major boost to private investments coming into the sector.' The government is also supporting the development of the next 50 tourism destinations. Shekhawat further said that Indian tourism growth will be driven by rising infrastructure investments.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Indian tourism sector to contribute 10% to India's GDP by 2030: Shekhawat
India's tourism sector should contribute 10 per cent to the country's economy by 2030 in line with global benchmarks, said Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at the CII Annual Business Summit on Friday. 'India will align with global standards, with 10 per cent of GDP coming from tourism. As our economy grows, parallelly our aspirational class will grow, and those people that have emerged from below the poverty line will commonly go for spiritual tourism,' the minister said. 'We're working on this with a vision to grow various aspects, including spiritual and religious tourism, and the government has created policies to enable overall tourist experience,' he said, noting that destinations like Ujjain's Mahakal Corridor have attracted over 10 lakh visitors in a month. India's domestic tourists have the potential to become a larger contributor to the country's tourism sector — a shift from earlier trends where there was greater reliance on international or foreign tourists. With a transitional shift post-Covid towards a rise in both domestic and international travel, the minister noted that the Centre has asked states to come up with strategies to promote experiential tourism at its monument sites, as travellers are increasingly looking for new experiences. 'We've asked the states to come up with new proposals,' he said. He also urged the industry to work together with the government to build an end-to-end roadmap for travellers coming to India and for domestic tourists, to promote ease of doing travel in India — which he said would segue into ease of doing business in the country. The minister asked industry and corporates to conduct their events and meetings within India to encourage the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) pillar of tourism. He added that the government would do its part towards building infrastructure and facilities, alongside the policy push already provided for developing the next 50 tourism destinations. 'The infrastructure status is going to give a major boost to private investments coming into the sector,' he added.
Skift
4 days ago
- Business
- Skift
Inside India's Events and Meetings Aspirations
India upped its convention center game for the G20 Summit last year. Now, it is trying to drum up the marketing for these spaces across the country. But is India really MICE ready? India wants to feature among the world's top destinations for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE). Earlier this month, tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat called MICE the fastest-growing tourism segment in India and a key driver for the country's economic growth. According to Shekhawat, India's MICE market generated $49.4 billion in revenue last year. That figure is expected to more than double to $103.7 billion by 2030. This growth, he said, will be driven by 'recent developments in MICE-ready destinations coming up in cities like Varanasi, Khajuraho and Kochi.' But while the government is bullish, event industry insiders say the ground reality is more complicated. More Than Convention Centers: A successful MICE destination requires more than just a convention center, Ramanpreet Singh, vice president of growth and strategy at events management company SKIL told Skift. 'It is about building a holistic ecosystem through air connectivity, multiple high-quality hotel options, efficient ground logistics, safety and security, digital readiness and above all, ease of doing business." Singh added that simple permissions, proactive local authorities, and support from the community are just as crucial as physical infrastructure. Samit Garg, president of the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) and co-founder of E-Factor Experiences, agreed. For him, destinations need to be appealing on multiple levels. "Culture, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment matter to delegates." Both SKIL and EEMA pointed to several smaller cities that are on the way to be MICE-suitable: Jaipur, Udaipur, Goa, Rishikesh, Jim Corbett, Kochi, Gandhinagar, Varanasi, and Amritsar. But the real challenge: converting intent into real MICE capability. Take for instance, a destination like Khajuraho that the central government is positioning as a MICE venue after the opening of a convention center. 'The ground reality is still quite different,' Singh said. 'It remains a Tier‐2 town with limited flight connectivity, modest hotel infrastructure, and very basic support services." Singh pointed out that while the intent to develop it as a MICE destination is commendable, the actual ecosystem required to host large‐scale corporate events is still a work in progress. "Other cities that show strong promise include Hampi, Mahabalipuram, Shillong, Diu, and Bhubaneswar,' he said. Emerging Trends in MICE: According to Garg, the MICE sector itself is changing: "Event formats are evolving with hybrid events, AI-driven delegate engagement, and immersive technologies like AR/VR. Also, sustainability and smaller, boutique summits are gaining popularity." Personalization and incorporation of corporate-social responsibility (CSR) activities are also becoming key elements of events, Singh said. 'There is also a growing preference for experiential venues over standard banquet spaces,' he added. Integration of local culture, wellness, and local experiences is also becoming the norm. Singh added, 'MICE on cruises is an emerging format that is becoming increasingly attractive for corporates looking to create immersive, high‐impact experiences. Cruises work particularly well for incentive travel, leadership offsites, and celebratory events because they offer a contained environment with curated experiences.' Global Standing: India is positioning itself as a MICE destination for the world. Globally, MICE destinations have smooth transport, vendor readiness, top‐tier hospitality, entertainment options, and active government support. In India, Singh said, 'The infrastructure still feels disjointed. Organizers often have to stitch things together on their own. We're moving in the right direction, but we're not there yet.' Indian Visitors Were Washington, DC's Highest Spenders in 2024 In 2024, Indian visitors were the highest spenders in Washington, DC as they spent $344 million in the city last year. India was also the third-biggest international source market for Washington after Canada and the United Kingdom, Destination DC said in a statement. According to Tourism Economics, 191,000 Indians visited the destination. In 2024, India was the fourth-largest source country for the U.S., after Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Nearly 2.2 million Indians visited the country, according to data from the U.S. International Trade Administration. According to recent data shared by Skift Research, among the five major source markets of the U.S. — Canada, Germany, India, Mexico, and the United Kingdom — there is a sharp decline in interest in visiting the U.S. among all sources except for India. 'In Canada, the share of negatively biased travelers exceeded those with a positive bias by 36%. In India, there was a net positivity gap of +41% in favor of travelers being 'more likely' to visit the U.S. today versus 12 months ago,' the report said. IHCL to Invest in Hotels in Northeast Indian States Taj-parent Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) is looking to invest in hotels in Northeast India as the number of tourists in the region increase. The company's area director for North East Jayanta Das said at a recent event that IHCL is looking to increase its presence in the Northeast across its brands to 30 hotels by 2030. He added that the company is looking to invest INR 25 billion ($293 million) in the region over the next three years. IHCL is also looking to build new tourist circuits and itineraries across all eight states in the region, Das added. 'Our planned expansion into the northeast is backed by belief in sustainable luxury and community-led development. We currently have nine operating hotels and two luxury homestays,' he said. The company's pipeline includes five upcoming hotels in Agartala, Itanagar, Guwahati, Jorhat, and Dibrugarh. Delhi's Terminal 1 Airport Roof Damaged A part of the roof outside Delhi Airport's domestic terminal T1 was damaged in the rainfall. The tensile fabric used as the roof in the arrival forecourt tore off due to water collection. No one was injured in the incident. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) spokesperson said that there was no structural compromise or impact to other parts of the terminal. 'Swift action was taken by the ground teams to restore normal conditions, ensuring safety and continuity of operations with minimal disruption,' the statement added. A similar incident had taken place last June when a canopy at the departure forecourt collapsed leading to one fatality and injuries to several other people. Meliá Hotels Launches 'Atithi Program' for Indian Groups Spanish hotel chain Meliá Hotels International has unveiled an initiative designed for Indian groups. The 'Atithi Program' (guest program) has been created to welcome Indian groups traveling to Europe, the company said in a statement. It added that the program introduces specialized offerings for Indian tourists including culturally familiar aspects and Indian cuisine. The program also aims to cater to Indian weddings, corporate offsites, and celebratory getaways. For this, Meliá has curated a portfolio of hotels across key European destinations. All the properties are experienced in hosting Indian groups and events, it added. Radisson Expands Presence in East India Radisson Hotel Group has signed three new hotels in East India — Radisson Blu Hotel Deoghar, Jharkhand, Radisson RED Puri, Odisha, and Radisson Resort & Spa, Ranchi, Jharkhand. The three properties have a combined inventory of 400 keys. According to Nikhil Sharma, managing director in South Asia region for Radisson Hotel Group, the expansion is driven by growing momentum of spiritual, cultural, and medical tourism in India and these regions.
News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Body Of Rajasthan Native In London Morgue For 35 Days, Family's Wait Gets Longer Back Home
Last Updated: The deceased, Fakira Bhagaria got British citizenship 10 days before his death but lacked an OCI card, which is reportedly causing legal issues in repatriating his body to India A man originally from Sagwada in Rajasthan's Dungarpur district, who had been living in London for several years, passed away 35 days ago. His body, however, still remains in the UK. The family, eager to perform his last rites in India, has reportedly sought help from various authorities, including the Ministry of External Affairs and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The deceased, Fakira Bhagaria, had been devoted to his work at a Hindu temple on Alperton's Ealing Road in Wembley, London, for the past 25 years and frequently visited India. His health had recently deteriorated, and he passed away on April 21. According to reports, his body has been kept at the Brent, Harrow and Barnet Public Mortuary in Watford, Harrow, London since then. The family, longing for his last rites in India, has reportedly faced countless obstacles. Efforts by the temple chairman, Narendra Thakkar, to facilitate the return of the body have been unsuccessful. Reports indicate that although reassurances have been received from the Ministry of External Affairs and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, no concrete action has been taken. Adding to the complications, Fakira Bhagaria had reportedly acquired British citizenship just 10 days before his death but had not secured an OCR card. It has been claimed that under British law, the absence of this card is preventing the transportation of his body, presenting a legal hurdle.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
India seeks intergovernmental group Brics's cultural, civilisational leadership
India has urged the intergovernmental organisation Brics to lead in cultural and civilisational domains apart from in geopolitical terms, emphasising the importance of building an ecosystem based on shared values and diversity. Speaking at the 10th Brics meeting of culture ministers in Brazil's Brasília on Monday, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat reaffirmed India's commitment to cultural cooperation rooted in justice, innovation, and heritage. He said that India is focused on the creative economy, ethical artificial intelligence (AI), which respects cultural diversity, intellectual property, and provides fair remuneration for creators, stronger digital safeguards, and indigenous knowledge for climate resilience strategies. Shekhawat said development and heritage must go together. He added India is ready for this journey with Brics partners under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Shekhawat said India will continue to advocate for inclusive and cooperative cultural diplomacy through the Brics. Shekhawat called for stronger legal frameworks to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property, especially online. Shekhawat welcomed Brazil's restitution of cultural property, calling it a step toward cultural justice and civilisational dignity. Shekhawat highlighted India's recent efforts in the area. 'India has reclaimed 642 heritage objects since 2014...[as] acts of justice that restore memory, dignity, and multilateral trust,' he said at the Brics meeting, which concluded with a joint declaration. The declaration outlined strategic priorities, including the creative economy, AI, climate change, return and safeguarding of cultural property, cultural festivals, and alliances. It called for promoting inclusive, rights-based, and innovation-driven cultural growth across Brics nations. The meeting was convened to deepen institutional cooperation and develop joint projects to preserve and promote the cultural diversity of the Brics countries. Shekhawat met with his counterparts from Brazil, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of the meeting and discussed expanding partnerships in digital innovation, creative industries, and cultural exchanges. Brics initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. It was expanded in 2023, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
