Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India had immense tourism potential but it would require out of the box thinking and long term planning to realise it and take the industry to newer heights.

He was addressing a post-Budget webinar on “Developing Tourism in Mission Mode,” the seventh in the series of 12 webinars organized by the government to seek ideas and suggestions to effectively implement initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023-24.

The prime minister said the Budget had mentioned the development of some select tourist destinations in the country in a competitive spirit. This should inspire stakeholders to work in a coordinated manner to meet the challenge. The Budget had also talked about a holistic development of tourist spots in the country.

Modi said the country’s tourism possibilities were almost unlimited. For example, there could be coastal tourism, beach tourism, mangrove tourism, Himalayan tourism, adventure tourism, wildlife tourism and eco tourism, as also heritage tourism, spiritual tourism, wedding destination, conferences tourism and sports tourism, he said.

He said there were pilgrimage circuits like Ramayan circuit, Buddha circuit and Krishna circuit, along with the North-east circuit and the Gandhi circuit. Punjab is full of places associated with different Gurus. But when a destination was identified for its tourism potential, its infrastructural requirements for various purposes like ease of travel should be focused in advance, the Prime Minister said.

He said some people associated tourism with high income groups, but if Indian traditions were seen, people have been undertaking yatras (pilgrimages) for centuries and even when there were no facilities for travel. Whether it was Char Dham Yatra, Dwadash Jyotirling Yatra or 51 Shaktipeeth Yatras, people would embark on the pilgrimages even at the cost of much discomfort, he said.

Observing that the economy of many big cities of the country was dependent on these yatras, the Prime Minister lamented the lack of development post-Independence to enhance facilities suited to the times, despite the age-old tradition of yatras. India of today is changing this situation, he said.

The increase in the facilities was attracting large number of tourists to the pilgrim spots. He gave the example of Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi and said that 70 to 80 lakh people used to visit the temple in a year before it was renovated, after which the tourist footfall crossed seven crores last year.

He said 15 lakh devotees have recently visited Kedarnath compared to only 4-5 lakhs before the completion of the reconstruction work in Kedarghati. Similarly in Pavagadh of Gujarat, the Prime Minister informed that 80,000 pilgrims go for the darshan of Maa Kalika compared to only four to five thousand people before the renovation.

The Prime Minister noted that the increase in facilities had a direct impact on the number of tourists and the increasing numbers meant more opportunities for employment and self-employment. The Prime Minister touched upon the Statue of Unity, the tallest statue in the world and informed that 27 lakh tourists visited the place within a year of its completion.

He underlined that India’s tourism sector can increase manifold with growing civic amenities, good digital connectivity, good hotels and hospitals, no trace of filth, and excellent infrastructure.

The prime minister insisted on developing 50 such tourist destinations that every tourist from around the globe was bound to visit on his trip to India. He said apps should be developed for tourist destinations in all languages listed in the United Nations.

Talking about village tourism, he said “Our villages are becoming centers of tourism.” This was due to improved infrastructure. He said that the Central Government has started the Vibrant Village Scheme for the villages situated along the border and emphasized the need to support businesses such as homestays, small hotels and restaurants.

Throwing spotlight on the increasing number of foreign tourists in India, the Prime Minister noted the growing attraction towards India and informed that eight lakh foreign tourists have come to India in January this year compared to only two lakhs in January last year.

The prime minister also underlined the need to profile such tourists and create a special strategy to attract them to the country who have the maximum spending capacity. He informed that foreign tourists who come to India spend an average of $1700, while international travelers spend an average of $2500 in America and around $5000 in Australia.

“India has a lot to offer to high-spending tourists,” he pointed out. The Prime Minister stressed that every state needs to change its tourism policy to align with this thought. He gave the example of bird watchers who camp in the country for months and underlined that policies should be made to target such potential tourists.

Highlighting the basic challenges of the tourism sector, the Prime Minister pointed out the lack of professional tourist guides and stressed the need for certificate courses in local colleges for the guides. He suggested that guides should have a specific dress or uniform so that tourists come to know about them at first glance. Tourists’ minds are full of questions and guides can help them find answers to all those questions, he said.