Thoughts & perspectives by Raj Bajaj- Chairman Perfect Travels & Tours Pvt Ltd

The return of this flagship event to the northeastern state represents a strategic pivot in India's ambitious plan to transform the region into a unified, world-class tourism circuit. With infrastructure and connectivity strengthening, tourism seeing an upsurge, over INR 3,000 cr invested in 65 projects, the Ministry of Tourism is betting big on this year's event.

Currently being held in Udaipur, this conference by MoT, aims to foster greater policy convergence in implementing the tourism transformation agenda, ensuring that every region contributes to building a globally competitive and sustainable tourism ecosystem for a Viksit Bharat.

Additionally, the Ministry released the 66th edition of the India Tourism Data Compendium, marking record international and domestic arrivals, employment generation, and economic contributions. India now ranks 20th globally in international tourist arrivals and continues strengthening its tourism infrastructure. These outcomes were a part of Ministry’s celebration of World Tourism Day 2025.

As per an official notice, his tenure at the ministry will be of five years.

Lower taxes to support tourists and craftsmen. The new GST rates will make hotel stays more affordable for middle-class and budget travellers and will boost weekend travel, pilgrimage circuits, heritage tourism, and eco-tourism. For transport, it will help bring down ticket fares, especially in semi-urban and rural routes.

As per the ministry data, the economic impact of tourism has been notable too, with Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) rising from INR 1,69,917 crore in 2022 to INR 2,93,033 crore in 2024. For the January-April period of 2025, FEEs have already reached INR 98,289 crore, according to provisional estimates.

This information including other initiatives by the Ministry of Tourism were shared by the Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat during a recent Rajya Sabha session.