G-20 Presidency will give India’s tourism sector an unparalleled opportunity to showcase India’s tourism offerings

• Additional Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Government of India addressed the Media at World Travel Market  2022 in London
• India’s  focus on sustainable tourism, digitalization of tourism sector and  development of tourism MSMEs highlighted at World Travel Market 2022 in London
• Tourism is one sector which has great resilience and it has bounced back from various adversities and crisis including Covid 19
• The success of huge vaccination drive in India makes it a safe tourist destination
• Theme of this year`s exhibition is ‘The Future of Travel Starts Now’

At the World Travel Market 2022 in London, India is showcasing the varied tourism offerings of India to the global tourism industry stakeholders such as tour operators, travel agents and media among others. India’s focus on promoting sustainable tourism, digitalization of tourism sector, development of tourism MSMEs and skills is also being highlighted through the platform of media at the ongoing WTM. India is also being promoted as a safe tourist destination post Covid 19  at the WTM. The G-20 Presidency will give India’s tourism sector an unprecedented  opportunity to highlight India’s tourism potential.

All the above points were emphasized upon by Shri Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Government of India who addressed the Media in the Press Meet at WTM 2022 on Tuesday at Media Centre, ExCeL, London.

At the outset, the Additional Secretary congratulated WTM, for organizing the press meet and also for  successfully coordinating with all countries leading to the meeting. He also applauded the media for their critical role in promoting the tourism sector. He informed the media that Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is participating at World Travel Market (WTM) 2022 from 7th to 9th November in London and Indian delegation is led by Mr. Arvind Singh, Secretary Government of India and consisting of senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism and representatives from the Indian travel and tourism stakeholders. During the visit to WTM 2022, the Indian delegation is showcasing the varied tourism offerings of India to the global tourism industry stakeholders such as tour operators, travel agents and media among. He also acquainted the media about how India is focusing on promoting sustainable tourism, digitalization of tourism sector, development of tourism MSMEs and skills.

The Additional Secretary mentioned that Tourism sector was hugely impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, tourism is one sector which has great resilience and it has bounced back from various adversities and crisis .He also informed  that in India, tourism is recovering well with domestic tourism contributing significantly. Under the strong leadership of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has achieved unprecedented success in vaccinating our people. Approx. 2.19 billion doses have been administered showing that India as a tourist destination is safer and more resilient to tackle the threat posed by the current pandemic, he explained.

We would also like to utilize the opportunity to acquaint media that India is also gearing up for the G20 Presidency which is scheduled to start from 01st December, 2022, Shri Rakesh Verma elaborated. Under its Presidency, the country is expected to host over 200 meetings across 55 cities in the country. The G-20 Presidency will give India’s tourism sector an unparalleled opportunity to highlight India’s tourism offerings and share India’s tourism success stories on a global stage.

The Ministry of Tourism is aiming to develop the tourism sector especially in the aftermath of COVID Pandemic to new heights and accelerating the transition to achieve sustainable development targets of 2030.

Mr Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India attended Ministers’ Summit at World Travel Market, in association with UNWTO and WTTC – Rethinking Tourism. Later, Mr Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism was interviewed by CNBC, CNN, BBC and Euro News.

Secretary Tourism attended the WTTC’s Annual Reception in the evening.

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