Tourism sector bounced back with 'great resilience' after pandemic: Govt

The tourism sector was hugely impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has "bounced back" from various adversities and crises with "great resilience," a senior official of the Indian government has said.

Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Rakesh Verma, part of the Indian delegation that is taking part in the three-day World Travel Market (WTM) in London, also said the delegation is showcasing varied tourism offerings of India to the global tourism industry stakeholders such as tour operators, travel agents and media, among others.

India is also being promoted as a "safe tourist destination post-COVID-19", at the WTM, the ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

During a press meet here on Tuesday, Verma said India is also gearing up for the G20 Presidency which is scheduled to start from December 1.

Under its Presidency, the country is expected to host over 200 meetings across 55 cities of the country. The G20 Presidency will give India's tourism sector an "unparalleled opportunity" to highlight India's tourism offerings and share India's tourism success stories on a global stage, he said.

"The tourism sector was hugely impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, tourism is one sector which has great resilience and it has bounced back from various adversities and crises. In India, tourism is recovering well with domestic tourism contributing significantly," the Indian Tourism Ministry official was quoted as saying in the statement.

Under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has achieved an "unprecedented success in vaccinating our people" against COVID-19, he asserted.

Approximately 2.19 billion doses have been administered to people, showing that "India as a tourist destination is safer and more resilient to tackle the threat posed by the current pandemic," he said.

The Indian tourism sector, like those around the world was severely impacted by the pandemic after its outbreak in India in early 2020.

India is participating in the World Travel Mart that started on November 7 to showcase itself as a preferred destination for tourism, the ministry had earlier said.

The theme of this year's exhibition is 'The Future of Travel Starts Now.

The Tourism Ministry in a series of tweets on Tuesday and Wednesday also shared some of the updates from the WTM, one of the largest international travel exhibitions.

"Shri Rakesh Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, while addressing the press, at the #WTMLondon, stated that India has achieved phenomenal growth in enhancing infrastructure. Along with the massive vaccination drive, it will help India to achieve pre-pandemic levels of international tourist arrivals. It also offers huge opportunities for investors and an Investor Summit will be organized by the Ministry in February 2023," it said in a tweet on Tuesday.

"With India assuming the G-20 Presidency from 1st December, Visit India 2023 was also launched at the Press Conference, to invite more tourists to the country," it wrote in another tweet.

The Indian delegation to the WTM 2022 is being led by Arvind Singh, Union Tourism Secretary and also includes Rakesh Verma, additional secretary and other senior officials from the ministry, besides representatives from the Indian travel and tourism stakeholders.

The Indian Tourism Ministry in a tweet on Wednesday shared some pictures and said, "Shri Arvind Singh, Secretary - Tourism in a meeting with Mr Andy Burwell, Confederation of British Industry (CBI) had a discussion on possible investment opportunities."

In another tweet, earlier in the day, it said, Singh had "several meetings with key dignitaries, international media groups and other stakeholders on the second day of #WTMLondon2022 including Mr Harold Goodwin, Responsible Tourism Advisor, WTM".

The Ministry of Tourism also said that is aiming to develop the tourism sector, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic to "new heights and accelerating the transition to achieve sustainable development targets of 2030".

A grand India Pavilion at the WTM has been launched to showcase a diverse range of tourism products and services on offer in the country.