The Indian government has set an ambitious target of 100 million international tourists by 2047 along with a US$3 trillion contribution to the country’s GDP by the tourism sector.
To meet this goal, the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) said the country needs to focus on growing shorthaul markets, engaging with the young, and promoting India as a year-long destination.
“India traditionally attracts international tourists from longhaul markets. Our shorthaul markets, excluding Bangladesh, contributed just 26 per cent to overall inbound arrivals pre-pandemic (2019-2020). This share needs to be increased to 55 per cent by 2046-2047, as shorthaul markets are very important to international visitation,” said Aashish Gupta, consulting CEO, FAITH.
He was speaking at the PATA Travel Mart 2023 Forum in New Delhi, India.
Additionally, Aashish sees value in balancing arrivals across the year and spreading footfalls deeper into the country.
He noted that 35 per cent of visitors came to India during the off-season in the pre-pandemic years, and said the share should be 50-50, while five states dominated the bulk of visitor arrivals (65 per cent) in 2019-2020.
There was also a need for more hotel rooms to cater to the high target of international arrivals. India has an inventory of 150,000 rooms in 2019/2020, but five million are needed by 2046/2047, he opined.
