India is home to dense green forests, exquisite peaks, rich cultural heritage sites, calming beaches and scenic diversity.Millions of visitors around the world come to India. Before the pandemic, over 19 million foreign tourists visited India.
Tourism is an integral part of Indian economy. According to World Travel and Tourism council, tourism in India generated well over $170 billion in revenue and created more than 32 million jobs in the year 2021. And by the year 2030 this figure will reach over $400 billion. This just tells you the importance of tourism for India.
Government of India has launched various initiatives to increase the number of tourist arrivals in India. Such initiatives create awareness among general public about the importance of tourism for the country. One such initiative is National Tourism Day. In this article we will learn more about National Tourism day in India, its significance, theme, history etc.
Let us begin …
National Tourism Day 25th January 2023
National tourism day is celebrated in India on 25th January. The sole purpose of this day is to encourage tourism in India and appreciate all the tourists arriving in India.
Tourism not only boosts India’s economy but also promotes its culture and heritage. Tourism is seen as a soft power by many countries. It helps improving image of a country globally.
Keeping this in mind government of India organizes national tourism day every year on 25th January.
Last year national tourism day was held on 25th January, 2022 at Telangana’s Pochampally village situated on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The village is well known for its famous hand-woven Ikat saris. The theme of the day was ‘Rural and Community Centric Tourism’.
National Tourism Day – History in India
Now let us talk about National Tourism day’s origin and history.
First national tourism day was started in the year 2022 by the ministry of tourism on 25th January, 2022 under the aegis of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to mark the 75 years of India’s independence. National Tourism is 75 week grand celebration launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This year is going to be second anniversary of National Tourism Day.
Some of the activities under National Tourism day include
- Unseen India – Visit 75 lesser known sites in India
- Dekho Apna Desh – Take pledge for visiting at least 15 locations across India
- National Tourism Day – A poster design contest
- National tourism Day – A caller tune contest
- National Tourism Day – Picture Quiz
National Tourism Day – Significance
As I said earlier two main reasons to launch and promote National Tourism Day are
To Boost Indian Economy
Tourism sector is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 7.8% to $420 billion by 2031.
Over 18 million tourists visited India in the year 2019. It is projected medical tourism sector to grow to $10 billion by 2023.
According to Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report India ranks 54th position out of 117 countries overall.
In the year 2021 the tourism sector generated around 32 million jobs.
This tells you the importance of tourism for the economy.
Promote India’s Soft Power
‘Incredible India’ campaign launched by government of India helped India to showcase all over the world in a positive manner.
This further brings more business to the country.
To improve the country’s image Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) like Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), HPCL and IOCL rolled out Drive-Fresh initiative to set up clean and hygienic toilets at their fuel stations.
This creates awareness about hygiene among common people in the country.
Indian Tourism Statistics
Why National Tourism day is important? You can learn from the statistics.
Following are some statistics about tourism in India.
- 25% of all foreign tourists come from Bangladesh. 14% are from United States and 10% are from United Kingdom.
- Maharashtra is number one Indian state that receives most number of foreign tourists. Second is Tamil Nadu.
- Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are two most visited states by domestic states.
- India has over 40 World Heritage sites recognized by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- Recently, India has implemented an online method for citizens of 40 countries to apply for an e-Tourist Visa.
- Currently tourism sector in India accounts for 9.2% of the total GDP and 8.1% of total employment.
National Tourism Day 2023 Theme
The national tourism day 2022 theme was “Rural and Community Centric Tourism”. It is expected this year also theme is going to be the same. However the theme has not been decided yet.
Last year government started the celebration of this day by incorporating into the national campaign of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.
Generally theme revolves around the promoting India as a safe destination for tourists from all over the world. The theme has a very important economic aspect to it. Tourism can help alleviate poverty in rural India. Objective of this theme is to engage rural communities of the country.
I hope after reading this article you will be motivated to celebrate National Tourism day with great fervor on January 25th 2023.