National tourism policy will be finalised in 2 months: Union Minister

'Massive opportunities' for conglomerates and start-ups in the sector, says G Kishan Reddy

The central government will in some two months finalise a national policy for tourism, union minister G Kishan Reddy has said.

The policy aims to make India the most-sought-after travel destination and seeks a near ten-fold increase in foreign tourist arrivals to 100 million by 2047. The draft policy was released last year and its final version is before the union cabinet.

"We have held discussions with state governments and industry stakeholders," said tourism minister Reddy while interacting with reporters at a roadshow organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Mumbai on Thursday.

The government is keen to develop tourism in a mission-mode and capitalise on India's G-20 presidency to showcase the country's attractions and diversity. Private sector investment is being sought to spur growth.

"There are massive opportunities for both conglomerates and start-ups in the sector," he said.

Along with the Centre, state governments too are framing policies to draw more visitors and encourage investments. This, the states hope, will increase their gross domestic product and create more jobs.

Saurabh Vijay, the Maharashtra government's principal secretary, said the state is reviewing its tourism policy to boost investments. The state government has also come up with a 'one district one destination' scheme for comprehensive development. Upgradation of state tourism corporation resorts has been carried out and a calendar of festivals planned to attract tourists, Vijay said.

The Gujarat government, which has developed tourism infrastructure in public-private partnership (PPP) mode, will soon issue tenders for developing five tent cities offering accommodation facilities to tourists, said state tourism secretary Hareet Shukla.

Gujarat is also working on a draft policy to attract more airlines and aviation sector investments, he said.