Massive Investment Opportunities for both Start-ups and Conglomerates in the Tourism Industry: Shri G. Kishan Reddy

Massive Investment Opportunities for both Start-ups and Conglomerates in the Tourism Industry: Shri G. Kishan Reddy

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India organised Roadshows at New Delhi and Mumbai on 26th and 27th April with the objective of raising awareness among stakeholders in the Travel and Tourism Industry about the forthcoming 1st Global Tourism Investors’ Summit. The Minister for Tourism, Culture and DoNER, Shri G. Kishan Reddy chaired the two Roadshows along with senior Ministerial officers.

Addressing attendees at the Roadshow, Shri G. Kishan Reddy said, “Considering the plethora of experiences the Indian tourism industry offers, such as wellness tourism, adventure tourism, eco-tourism, rural tourism, spiritual tourism and several others, both the State and Central Governments recognise the role that tourism can play in driving economic growth. Therefore, private investment, particularly in hotels and other tourism-related infrastructure, is critical.”

The Delhi event saw the presence of eminent industry stakeholders including Mr. Ajay Bakaya, MD of Sarovar Hotels, Mr. Patu Keswani, Chairman and MD of Lemon Tree Hotels, Mr. Deep Kalra, Co-Chairman of CII National Committee, Tourism and Hospitality and Founder & Chairman of MakeMyTrip and Mr. Nakul Anand, Executive Director of ITC Ltd amongst others. They shared their insights on the sector’s overview and its future prospects.

Key dignitaries at the Mumbai Roadshow, held on 27th April, included Shri Saurabh Vijay, Principal Secretary (Tourism), Government of Maharashtra, Shri Hareet Shukla, Secretary (Tourism), Government of Gujarat, Shri Vivek Shrotriya, Additional Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, Shri Pawan Jain, Joint Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan also attended and expressed their views during the event.

Prominent industry leaders including Mr. Vishal Kamat, Co-Chair, CII WR Sub Committee on Tourism and Hospitality, CEO, Kamat Hotels India Limited, Mr. Anuraag Bhatnagar, CEO, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, Cdr Nevil Malao, VSM (Retd), Vice President Head – Cruise & Navy Cell, J. M. Baxi & Co., Mr. Dhimant Bakshi, CEO, Imagica, Mr. Santhosh Kutty, CEO – Hotels, Mahindra Hotels and Resorts one to one interaction with Hon`ble Minister of Tourism, Shri G. Kishan Reddy at the Roadshow in Mumbai.

During the Business Seminar, Shri G. Kishan Reddy stated that, inspired by the ambitious vision of Prime Minister, the Government is working dedicatedly towards the sustained growth and promotion of tourism in India in Mission Mode. Various initiatives are being undertaken to provide both domestic and inbound tourists with memorable experiences. In addition to promoting the Global Tourism Investor summit, the roadshow also provided an opportunity for the Ministry of Tourism to gather feedback from the industry stakeholders.

The objective of the forthcoming Global Tourism Investors’ Summit is to highlight India’s travel and tourism sector as an ideal investment destination and give investors as well as the Central and State Governments a forum to explore investment opportunities. The participating states will have the opportunity to showcase strengths and unique offerings in terms of investible ready projects in the states to attract investments for tourism infrastructure. The Summit is also expected to facilitate meaningful discussions and collaborations between the Government and the private sector to promote the speedy growth and development of India’s tourism industry.

The first Global Tourism Investors’ Summit (GTIS) 2023 is being organized in partnership with Invest India as the Investment Promotion and Facilitation partner, and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the Industry Partner, with an objective of providing a common platform for global and domestic players to interact and explore investment opportunities in the Indian travel and hospitality sector. The Summit, being organized under the ageis of India`s G 20 Presidency, offers an opportune platform for investors from the G20 countries to explore the Indian tourism industry products among other areas of bilateral/multilateral engagements.

Union Tourism Minister Sh G. Kishan Reddy virtually addresses Conference on Buddhist Circuit at Varanasi, UP

Buddhist Circuit is India’s Pride: Sh G. Kishan Reddy

Buddhist sites currently receive approximately 6% of nationwide foreign tourist arrivals with Sarnath and Bodh Gaya leading the pack: Shri G. Kishan Reddy

Uttar Pradesh has maximum 6 places related to Lord Buddha and rapid development work is going on at all these sites: Shri Neelkanth Tiwari

Key Highlights

  • Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour and Conference organized by Tourism Ministry scheduled from 04th October – 08th October 2021 is underway
  • Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, Tourism Ministry sanctioned 5 projects of Rs 325.53 crore for Buddhist circuit development in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh

Union Minister for Tourism, Culture & DoNER, Shri G Kishan Reddy virtually addressed the Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour and Conference organised in Varanasi today. State Minister (Independent Charge) Tourism, Culture & Religious Affairs, Uttar Pradesh Dr. Neelkanth Tiwari graced the event as Chief Guest. Secretary of Ministry of Tourism, GoI Shri Arvind Singh; DG of Ministry of Tourism, GoI Shri G Kamla Vardhan Rao; ADG of MoT, GoI Smt. Rupinder Brar and other officers of the Ministry and State government were also present on this occasion.

During his virtual address, Shri G. Kishan Reddy said that Buddhism originated in ancient India more than 2500 years ago and spread through much of Asia. “With close to 500 million followers, Buddhists represent 7% of the world’s total population. The Indian Buddhist heritage is of great interest to the followers of Buddhism all over the world”, he added.

Shri Reddy further said that the philosophy of Lord Buddha guides many Indians even as they pursue other religions. He added that the Buddhist circuit is India’s pride. The important Buddhist sites currently receive approximately 6% of nationwide foreign tourist arrivals with Sarnath and Bodh Gaya leading the pack.

Shri Reddy added that the Tourism Ministry is working with various Ministries and organisations. Our aim is to improve the hard and soft infrastructure to improve the tourist and pilgrim experience of all the sites. “In this very special year which marks the 75th anniversary of our nation’s independence, we must introspect and pledge to do everything to make India the number one country for tourism. As we celebrate the various events nationwide through ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, I do request your support in maximising participation”, he added.

Dr. Neelkanth Tiwari said that Uttar Pradesh has a maximum of 6 places related to Lord Buddha and rapid development work is going on at all these sites. The international airport at Kushinagar is ready to be inaugurated. Shri Tiwari further added that after the arrival of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the condition of Varanasi has changed and work has been done on projects worth several thousand crores. Minister gave details of the Buddhist Circuit and other religious tourist places.

Shri Arvind Singh said that the Ministry of Tourism has been appointed as the nodal ministry to work on reviving India as the Global Centre of Buddhist Culture and Tourism. “Under its flagship scheme “Swadesh Darshan”, which focuses on the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits, the Ministry has undertaken multiple projects as part of the Buddhist Circuits in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh”, he added.

Shri Arvind further said that under Uttar Pradesh Buddhist Circuit, Shravasti, Kushinagar, and Kapilvastu, Projects have been undertaken for infrastructure development which will be completed in 2021. “The construction of a Cultural Centre at Bodhgaya, Bihar is also underway. Under the PRASHAD scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned multiple projects in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Sikkim. In Varanasi, projects worth Rs 9.5 Cr, focusing on the development of Buddhist structures, have been completed. These include a sound and light show at Dhamek Stupa and a Buddha Theme Park at Sarnath”, he added.

During the conference COO of IATO, Mr. Rahul Chakravarty gave a presentation on the potential of the Buddhist Circuit and Jt. GM of IRCTC Dr. Achyut Singh gave a presentation on Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train and the facilities being provided by IRCTC on the train which includes Mini Library. The major objective of the conference was to present the efforts and developments that have taken place in the Buddhist Circuit by the Government of India and to discuss and deliberate the way forward for the promotion of Buddhist Tourism in India. This conference was part of the Ministry of Tourism’s Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour scheduled from 04th October – 08th October 2021.

The Tourism Ministry has taken a four-fold development strategy that focuses on improving the connectivity via air, rail, and roads, enhancing the tourism infrastructure and dependent services, streamlining branding and promotion, and showcasing the culture and heritage. Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, 5 projects worth Rs325.53 crore have been sanctioned for Buddhist circuit development in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh and those sanctioned projects are under different stages of implementation. While works of Rs 44.19 crore on three projects have been sanctioned under PRASHAD Scheme; in Varanasi, two projects including a sound and light show at Dhamek Stupa and a Buddha Theme Park, Sarnath, worth costing Rs 9.5 crores for the development of Buddhist structures have been completed.

In addition to the development of tourism-related infrastructure under the various schemes of the Ministry of Tourism, emphasis is also being put on promoting the various Buddhist Sites within India and overseas markets. As part of the above, India Tourism Offices in overseas markets regularly participate in a number of travel and tourism fairs as well as exhibitions wherein India’s Buddhist Sites are promoted. Also, Ministry of Tourism organises Buddhist Conclave every alternate year with the objective of promoting India as a Buddhist Destination and major markets around the globe. The upcoming International Buddhist Conclave is scheduled from 17th to 21st November 2021. Ministry has undertaken multiple projects under branding and promotion that are currently in the pipeline including a live virtual exhibition at national museum, web portal, annual events calendar, social media marketing, campaigns in key source markets like Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, etc.

The Ministry has also worked on projects for capacity building that include Linguistic Tourist Facilitator training in Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese languages. 525 people have been trained in these languages between 2018 to 2020, and 600 more will be trained between 2020 and 2023. This is especially important as Buddhism, has branched out to a large part of Asia, and 97% of the world’s Buddhists are concentrated in East and Southeast Asia alone. Hence it is important to develop a linguistic connect with the tourists.