On this World Tourism Day (September 27), as nations reflect on tourism’s role in shaping economies and cultural exchange, India finds itself at a decisive crossroads. Once propelled by bold, imaginative campaigns and empowering initiatives that placed “Incredible India” squarely in the global spotlight, today the sector is mired by a disturbing absence of vision. The result is visible in hard numbers: India remains stuck below pre‑pandemic tourist arrival levels, while global competitors race far ahead.

During the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), I had the honour to serve effort as Union tourism minister. We worked to expand the horizons of India’s outreach and consciously embraced boldness, inclusivity, and imagination in shaping policy. The aggressive expansion of the “Incredible India” campaign was not just a clever tagline but a comprehensive declaration that India was ready to stand tall and compete with the best of the global destinations. We ensured that it was not confined to glossy posters alone; Incredible India was painted across Air India’s fleet, paraded on trams in Berlin, projected through Microsoft Windows as an interface of Indian heritage, and broadcast in carefully crafted roadshows across Europe and Asia. It was celebrity‑endorsed, media‑saturated, and relentlessly visible. For the first time, India became not just a name on the travellers’ map but a destination woven into global aspiration.

Our efforts did not stop at international branding. Programmes like Project Priyadarshini, launched in December 2005, broke new ground by training women to enter the tourism workforce as taxi drivers, guides, interpreters, and mechanics. We recognised that women’s economic participation was not only a matter of equality but also a matter of safety and reassurance for international visitors to India. By offering them easy loans, subsidies, and training even in foreign languages and automobile repair, we created a new cadre of women entrepreneurs in tourism.  Even I had to fight fierce opposition from taxi unions, who resisted allowing women into the profession, yet the project persevered to open new livelihoods and symbols of empowerment. This wasn’t token empowerment—it was transformation on the ground, building livelihoods while re‑shaping perceptions of India as safer, more welcoming, and progressive.

Equally revolutionary was our investment in rural tourism and artisan‑based experiences. At a time when tourism policies worldwide looked to mass travel, we crafted the Endogenous Tourism Project, with UNDP support, to reconnect villages with visitors. Tourists were invited not as passive consumers but as learners, deeply immersed in the arts of pottery, classical dance, folk music, or traditional painting under the guidance of local masters. Night Bazaars sprang up not as sterile commercial hubs but as night markets at strategic locations, preserving and celebrating crafts. From the Mumbai Mela to eco‑experiences in Lakshadweep and the Andamans, the goal was always twin: to protect and promote heritage while giving equal economic dignity to artisans.

It was no accident that these bold moves translated into record‑breaking growth. Between 2003-04 and 2004-05, foreign tourist arrivals grew by 22.9%, while foreign exchange earnings surged a staggering 30%. In two short years by 2006, arrivals had already jumped by nearly 29%. Global surveys reflected the world’s enthusiasm—Conde Nast Traveller readers ranked India among the world’s top destinations, Lonely Planet named it among the five most favourite countries to visit, and Visa’s Asia‑Pacific spending data showed India as the fastest‑growing market for international tourism expenditure. For an entire decade thereafter, under the UPA, arrivals doubled from 3.4 million in 2004 to 7.68 million by 2014. This was not accidental; it was a direct product of a government that invested political will, financial resources, and genuine commitment towards building a tourism ecosystem.

Now fast‑forward to the present, and the picture is dispiriting. Despite unprecedented visibility through India’s G20 Presidency and the Prime Minister’s costume of international travel, the country has failed to harness even a fraction of this attention for the benefit of its tourism sector. The numbers speak loudly and damningly. In 2024, foreign tourist arrivals stood at 9.65 million, which looks respectable at first glance until one realises it is still down by 11.6% compared to the pre‑COVID peak of 10.93 million in 2019. In December 2024, arrivals fell further, by 16% compared to the same month in 2019. Industry leaders and experts have characterised the situation as one of no buzz and no visibility in global markets. 

The Union Budget for 2025–26 has once again confirmed what industry voices have long feared: inbound tourism is no longer a priority for this government. The budget for the Ministry of Tourism stands at around Rs 2,541 crore, almost unchanged from last year’s Rs 2,484 crore. The allocation for overseas promotion and Market Development Assistance has been slashed by 91% to just Rs 3.07 crore this year, compared to Rs 33 crore in the last budget. For a nation of continental scale, seeking to recover from pandemic losses and reclaim international market share, this drop is not merely a reduction in numbers, it is a deliberate retreat from the global stage.

This neglect is particularly indefensible when tourism still provides employment to about 4.2 crore people today, far fewer than the 7.9 crore it sustained in 2020. Yet instead of reviving jobs and livelihoods, the government has allowed the sector to shrink into stagnation.

This is not mere negligence; it is sabotage of potential. Tourism cannot sell itself. In the global market, it is a discretionary consumer service. Competing destinations like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Dubai pour vast sums into seasonal marketing, airline tie‑ups, streamlined visa regimes, and sophisticated promotional campaigns. India, by contrast, has retreated into inertia, smiling at meagre annual increases while ignoring the fact that the sector has not even managed to touch pre‑pandemic levels. This is not a tourism ministry problem but a 'Government of India problem', springing from chronic under‑funding and lack of vision.

The lesson for today is unambiguous. When the political will exists, as it once did, India’s tourism potential can surge with breathtaking speed, doubling arrivals within a decade and creating sustainable livelihoods for women, villagers, and urban workers alike. Without that will, however, India’s vast heritage risks becoming a silent museum piece, bypassed by tourists who choose destinations that aggressively and smartly market themselves.

On this World Tourism Day, the choice before India is clear. Either we remain content with half‑hearted gestures and stagnant figures, congratulating ourselves on modest recovery, or we return to the path of bold imagination, real investment, and inclusive empowerment that once made Incredible India the envy of the world. The world’s travellers are ready; the question is whether our government is willing to rise to the challenge.

It is worth recalling that the Incredible India campaign once carried with it the powerful message of Atithi Devo Bhava to treat every guest as god. This was not just branding but a call to the conscience of the nation, training those who met tourists first, drivers, police, guides, and vendors, in hospitality, etiquette, and respect. It symbolised the deeper truth that tourism is not only about numbers and budgets but about the values India projects to the world. If we truly aspire to restore India’s place as a global tourism leader, we must return to that spirit, where policy is matched with purpose and where every traveller feels the warmth of a country that believes in its own timeless promise: the guest is sacred.

Renuka Chowdhury is a Rajya Sabha MP from the Indian National Congress and former Union Cabinet Minister. Her official X handle is @RenukaCCongress​​.

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