Tourism sector continues growing rapidly as India plans new policy

Union Minister of State for Tourism Mahesh Sharma has said that a new tourism policy would soon be introduced to make India more tourist-friendly.

"Our country not only gets revenue from tourism, but it also provides employment opportunities to the people. Our aim is to promote tourism by developing tourist spots and for this we are working in collaboration with State Governments", Sharma said.

According to PTI, the minister also said that by developing tourism in the country, the cultural heritage also gets conserved. Regarding the possibilities of tourism in Sonipat, he said that the local MP has made recommendations several times in this regard. The government would consider the suggestions given by him and would undertake all possible steps, he added.

The tourism industry of India is economically important and is growing rapidly. The World Travel & Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated INR 6.4 trillion or 6.6% of the nation's GDP in 2012. It supported 39.5 million jobs, 7.7% of its total employment.

India's tourism sector is predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 7.9% from 2013 to 2023. This gives India the third rank among countries with the fastest growing tourism industries over the next decade. India recently ranked 52nd on the global travel and tourism list. The country has moved up 13 notches on the list in the past one year.

Image Credit : Shutterstock