“Our ancient scriptures have a saying ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’; meaning, ‘Guest is God’, and, that is our approach to tourism,” said PM Narendra Modi at a recently concluded G20 meet in Goa.
He added, “Our tourism is not just about sight-seeing. It is an immersive experience. Whether it is music or food, arts or culture, the diversity of India is truly majestic. From the high Himalayas to dense forests; from the dry deserts to beautiful beaches; from adventure sports to to meditation retreats, India has something for everyone. During our G-20 Presidency, we are organizing nearly 200 meetings in 100 different locations all over India. If you ask your friends who have already visited India for these meetings, I am sure that no two experiences will be alike.
“In India, our efforts in this sector are centred on preserving our rich heritage, and at the same time, creating world class infrastructure for tourism. One of our focus areas is on developing spiritual tourism. After all, India attracts pilgrims of every major religion of the world. After the infrastructure upgrade, the eternal city of Varanasi, just one of the major spiritual centres, now attracts 70 million pilgrims – a ten-fold increase from earlier. We are also creating new tourist attractions, such as the Statue of Unity. As the tallest statue in the world, it attracted about two point seven million people within a year after it was built. In the last nine years, we have placed special emphasis on developing the entire eco-system of tourism in the country. From transport infrastructure, to the hospitality sector, to skill development, and even in our visa systems, we have kept the tourism sector as a focal point of our reforms. The hospitality sector has great potential for employment generation, social inclusion, and economic progress. It employs more women and youth compared to many other sectors. I am glad we are also recognising the relevance of tourism sector for speedy achievement of sustainable development goals.”
