PM Modi’s Incredible Ideas Boost Indian Tourism

India’s tourism industry is soaring to new heights, powered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s incredible ideas. Initiatives like PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive) and Swadesh Darshan are revolutionizing how India’s cultural and spiritual destinations are being developed and promoted. PM Modi has repeatedly appealed to Indians to explore their own country before venturing abroad, emphasizing India’s unmatched diversity in tourism.

The global uproar following PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep is a testament to his innovative approach, which even unsettled international tourism lobbies. His ideas reaffirm that with strong political will and citizen support, tourism can be a backbone of the economy.

History echoes this sentiment. Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama once searched desperately for the land of spices—India—eventually discovering the sea route here in 1498. That historic voyage marked India as a key global destination, a status it is rapidly reclaiming under Modi’s leadership.

During a recent high-level review meeting of the Ministry of Tourism, PM Modi discussed ongoing schemes in detail. Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared that Modi not only reviewed the progress but also offered several innovative suggestions to improve and diversify India’s tourism strategy. Modi connects tourism development with socio-economic progress, consistently offering new “Incredible Ideas” to move the sector forward.

Shekhawat emphasized the crucial role of PRASAD and Swadesh Darshan schemes. PRASAD focuses on rejuvenating pilgrimage sites to promote spiritual tourism and local economic growth. So far, 48 projects have been approved under this scheme with ₹1646.99 crore sanctioned, and 23 already completed. Swadesh Darshan aims to develop theme-based tourist circuits—76 projects worth ₹5287.90 crore have been approved, with 75 completed. The 'Meet in India' initiative under the Incredible India campaign is another pillar of this progress.

These programs not only enhance infrastructure and create jobs but also preserve cultural heritage and ensure local community participation. As a result, both domestic and international tourism are witnessing unprecedented growth.

In 2023-24, India welcomed about 95.2 lakh foreign tourists—a 47.9% increase over the previous two years and 106% higher than in 2022. Domestic tourism also surged, with 173.1 crore Indian tourists recorded in 2022, up from 67.7 crore in 2021. Jammu and Kashmir, after the abrogation of Article 370, saw record numbers: 2.11 crore tourists in 2023 and 2.35 crore in 2024, including tens of thousands of foreign visitors, despite some setbacks due to regional tensions.

According to the UN World Tourism Organization (May 2024), India ranked 24th globally for international tourist arrivals in 2023 with 1.889 crore visitors—up 31.9% from 2022. India's share in global tourism arrivals was 1.5%, while its share in international tourism revenue was 2.1%, indicating higher per capita earnings. Moreover, India climbed to the 39th position (from 54th in 2021) on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024, showing strong forward momentum.

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, a native of Jodhpur—the second-largest city of Rajasthan—emphasizes the state's significance in the tourism map. With Jaipur already a cultural hotspot, Rajasthan can become a global heritage tourism leader if granted official “Heritage State” status and additional central funding. The state’s current government, led by Bhajan Lal Sharma, has strategically appointed Princess Diya Kumari, known for her heritage insight, as Tourism Minister.

With the synergy of the Centre and State's “double engine” governance, Rajasthan and India’s tourism sector are poised to spread their wings even wider, welcoming the world to discover the incredible.