Ministry of Tourism (MoT) successfully organised a two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ on  ‘Tourism in Mission Mode’ with industry stakeholders aspiring for 3 trillion USD tourism GDP by 2047. The event was also utilized to deliberate key aspects of developing tourism in the country.

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Rakesh Verma stressed that three things including active participation of States, Public-Private Partnerships, and convergence of Government programmes are key to achieving the benefits of Tourism in Mission Mode.

Verma also presented the National Strategy for MICE industry with emphasis on governance and institutional frameworks, infrastructure and financing, and the ‘Meet in India’ brand. During the deliberations, States presented their views and plans to promote tourism.

Anil Kumar Sahu, MD, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board said, “The Government of Chhattisgarh has identified 158 acres of land that will be leased for attracting tourism in the state. They will also get a 50% subsidy in their leasing. We invite tourism stakeholders to come and participate in the bidding.”

“We want to make Hyderabad a one-stop destination and solution for MICE Tourism. We ensure that the State Government participates in the conferences held in the state and not just look over,” said  Sandeep Kumar Sultania, Secretary, Government of Telangana Youth Advancement, Tourism & Culture Department.

“Karnataka has multiple offerings and is blessed with coastal areas on one side, forests, plains, and more on the other. The Central and our schemes are implemented to augment our facilities. We are leveraging our infrastructure to increase tourist growth. The state of Karnataka is using the funds to enhance the tourism infrastructure, mainly connectivity, which we believe is key to driving tourism,” said Dr. Ram Prasath Manohar V, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka.