The three-day National Conference of State Tourism Ministers at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, which began on Sunday, ended with the adoption of the “Dharamshala Declaration” which affirms commitment toward developing “sustainable and responsible tourism” and positions India as a “global leader in the tourism sector by 2047”.
Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary (Tourism), who was at the conference, said the declaration of tourism ministers will go a long way in recovery.
“India will play a pivotal role in contributing towards global tourism recovery driven mainly through domestic tourism. All major tourism indices have started showing signs of recovery towards pre-pandemic levels, such as domestic air passenger traffic, hotel occupancy and tourist footfalls,” the declaration noted.
A National Tourism Policy has been drafted with a holistic vision and strategy to revive India’s tourism sector and targets to achieve $1 trillion from the sector by 2047. The ministry is also paving the way for developing responsible and sustainable tourism destinations.
India will strive to recover to pre-pandemic levels by mid-2024. The country is estimated to achieve $50 billion GDP contribution from tourism by 2024, according to the declaration. The Ministry of Tourism commits to deliver plans aligned with these goals and commitments to ensure positioning of India as one of the leaders in the tourism sector by 2047.