The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has addressed the Tourism Ministers Meeting of the G20 held in Goa.
Addressing the attendees, the prime minister said that tourism ministers rarely get the chance to be tourists themselves, despite running a sector worth more than two trillion dollars globally.
The prime minister said that India’s approach to tourism is based on the ancient Sanskrit verse “Atithi Devo Bhavah” which means “The guest is God.” He in turn reported that India, during its G20 presidency, is organizing nearly 200 meetings in 100 different locations across the country making each experience different from the other. “If you ask your friends who have already visited India for these gatherings, I am sure no two experiences will be the same,” he added.
The prime minister stressed that India’s efforts in the tourism sector are focused on preserving its rich heritage while creating a world-class infrastructure for tourism. Noting that India attracts pilgrims from all the world’s major religions, the Prime Minister stressed the development of spiritual tourism as one of the focus areas.
He reported that the improvement of infrastructure in the eternal city of Varanasi, one of the main spiritual centers, caused the number of pilgrims to multiply tenfold, reaching 70 million today. He also stressed that India is creating new tourist attractions, citing the Unity Statue, the world’s tallest statue, which attracted some 2.7 million tourists a year after its inauguration as an example. The Prime Minister expressed his joy that India is also recognizing the relevance of the tourism sector for the rapid achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Terrorism divides, but tourism unites,” said the prime minister. He said that tourism has the potential to unite people from all walks of life, thus creating a harmonious society. Mr. Modi expressed his satisfaction that a G20 tourism panel is being developed in collaboration with UNWTO, which will be the first platform of its kind to bring together best practices, case studies and inspirational stories. The Prime Minister expressed his confidence that the deliberations and the “Goa Roadmap” will multiply collective efforts to realize the transformative power of tourism. “The motto of the G20 Indian Presidency, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth, One Family, One Future” can itself be a slogan for global tourism,” he added.
Fourth meeting of the G20 Tourism Working Group
The fourth meeting of the G20 Tourism Working Group and the G20 Tourism Ministers meeting have concluded on June 21 in Goa.
The meeting of ministers was chaired by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and DoNER, G. Kishan Reddy; the Secretary of State for Tourism, Shripad Yesso Naik, and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Ajay Bhatt. The meeting was attended by ministers of the G20 countries and delegates of the G20 countries, invited countries and international organizations.
India is creating new tourist attractions, such as the Unity Statue, the tallest statue in the world, which has attracted some 2.7 million tourists
The minister stated that we are all aware of the immense importance of the G20 and its role in global governance. The G20 brings together the world’s leading economies to address major challenges and promote sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, he added. G. Kishan Reddy further stated that through our collective efforts, we can harness the power of tourism to accelerate progress towards the SDGs, ensuring that no one is left behind.
Highlighting the achievements of the tourism working group meetings, the minister reported that extensive discussions had been held on the five priorities of green tourism, digitization, skills, tourism MSMEs and destination management. He added that the G20 member countries made very interesting presentations that shed light on their contributions to the five priority areas.
side events
He noted that the Ministry of Tourism had organized a series of events on the sidelines of the Tourism Working Group meetings. These events have been decisive in promoting sustainable and diverse tourism in which various themes have been explored, such as rural tourism, archaeological tourism, adventure tourism, film tourism, ecotourism and cruise tourism.
The minister stated that the two final documents of the G20 Working Group were welcomed. Speaking on Travel for LiFE, Shri G.Kishan Reddy said that ‘Travel for LiFE’, incorporated into the GOA Roadmap, builds on our Prime Minister’s visionary initiative ‘Mission LiFE’, and urges individuals to act. , to protect the environment against the effects of climate change. Travel for LiFE aims to encourage visitors and tourism businesses to adopt sustainable practices and contribute to the conservation of our natural and cultural heritage.
Union Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy welcomed the Goa Roadmap stating, “We welcome the “Goa Roadmap for Tourism as a vehicle to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals” and reaffirms the critical role of the 5 key priority areas identified under the Indian G20 Presidency in driving development, innovation and cooperation in the tourism industry.”
Phuket tourism rebounds thanks to influx of foreign visitors
In his closing remarks, he said: “I am also delighted to share that an online G20 Dashboard on Tourism and the SDGs will be created to showcase best practices and case studies from G20 members in making progress towards the SDGs. This will help stakeholders to learn from and replicate best practices.”
“I would like to underline once again that by harnessing the power of tourism, we can shape a better world for generations to come,” the minister concluded.
Earlier in the day, a thematic discussion was held on “Public-Private Dialogue: Importance of Travel and Tourism for G20 Economies”.
The Union Minister, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, addressed the discussion, which was attended by Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council.
In his address, G. Kishan Reddy stated that tourism has become one of the fastest growing economic sectors. We are all aware that tourism is an important source of employment, along with various socio-economic benefits such as trade, investment, infrastructure development and social inclusion.
there have been extensive discussions on the five eco-tourism priorities: digitization, skills, tourism MSMEs and destination management
He stated that tourism employs more women and youth than most other sectors, and also provides livelihood opportunities to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.
He added that tourism should become an investment magnet for both the public and private sectors, and that it is necessary to innovate, explore new areas and develop new strategies not only to reach the pre-pandemic situation, but to overcome it.
He stated that the private sector has a critical role to play in the five priority areas of eco-tourism, digitization, skills, MSMEs, and destinations. As we move forward, the private sector will lead tourism growth and the public sector will become an enabler.
He added: “A strong public-private partnership will help ensure that sustainability and inclusion are at the center of investment decisions and future growth.”
