Tourism Can Help In Economic Transformation, Rural Development: Union Minister

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said tourism can be a positive force for economic transformation, rural development and community wellbeing, and India plans to use the key segment to achieve sustainable development goals during its G20 Presidency. The minister was addressing a side event at the start of a three-day Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting of G20 at the tent city of Dhordo in Gujarat’s Kutch district. This is the first meeting of the working group.

Speaking at a panel discussion on 'Rural Tourism for Community Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation', Reddy said, “India is focused on using tourism as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) during its G20 Presidency." SDGs are a call for action by all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet."The soul of India lives in its villages," the minister said quoting Mahatma Gandhi.

The focus of rural tourism should be to showcase villages, the country's way of life, its spiritual and cultural heritage and natural beauty, he said. “Tourism has the potential to generate maximum number of jobs with least investment and therefore, tourism can be a positive force for economic transformation, rural development and community wellbeing," Reddy said.

Citing the example of Pochampally village in Telangana, which was declared one of the best tourism villages by United Nations agency  UNWTO, the minister said that Indian villages are already receiving global recognition. “Tourism provides a channel for enabling the sale of local products and services, empowering the youth to become entrepreneurs, employing women and disadvantaged communities such as tribals. This leads to  community empowerment and poverty alleviation,” he said.

Reddy said the Union Ministry of Tourism has for the first time come up with a draft on national strategy and roadmap for the development of rural tourism, which is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of “self-reliant India'' or "Aatmanirbhar  Bharat". The first TWG meeting under G20 hosted by the Ministry of Tourism began on Tuesday with a panel discussion on 'Rural Tourism for Community Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation'.

The delegates who arrived from different countries were given a traditional welcome, which included performances by folk artistes at the Bhuj airport and at the tent city Dhordo in Rann of Kutch. The panel discussion was attended by representatives from Indonesia, Italy, Spain, Japan, ILO (International Labour Organization) and UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).

From India, representatives from governments of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Nagaland along with OYO and Global Himalayan Expedition participated in the discussion. More than 100 delegates are attending the first TWG meeting. Four G20 meetings on tourism will be held at various locations, including Rann of Kutch, Silugiri (West Bengal), Goa and a site in North India.

In addition to the four G20 meetings of tourism track, three mega events are also planned to promote tourism during the period of G20 meetings. The tourism ministry will organise the first Global Tourism Investors' Summit (GTIS) in April/May 2023 in New Delhi, MICE Global Conference in May and G20 CEO Forum in June.

The TWG meeting is the second G20 event in Gujarat after the 'Business 20 Inception' programme held in Gandhinagar last month. India assumed the Presidency of G20, an influential bloc of developed and developing countries, in December last year.