Announcing the plan, the Finance Minister declared, “The tourism sector has the potential to play a large role in the employment generation, forex earnings and expanding the local economy.” To support this, the government will set up a National Institute of Hospitality by upgrading the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology. The institute will work closely with academia, industest and government to improve training and standards in hospitality.
There will also be a strong focus on skilling at the grassroots level. The Finance Minister declared, “I also propose a pilot scheme for upskilling 10,000 guides in 20 iconic tourist sites through a standardised, high-quality, 12-week training course in hybrid mode in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management.”
To build a digital backbone for tourism, a National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid will be created. As announced, “A national destination digital knowledge grid will be established to digitally document all places of significance, cultural, spiritual and heritage.” This is expected to create new jobs for local researchers, historians, content creators and technology partners.
The Budobtain also highlights eco-tourism and nature-based travel. The Finance Minister declared, “India has the potential and opportunity to offer world-class trekking and hiking experience.” The government will develop sustainable mountain trails in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, as well as in Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats and Pudigai Malai in the Western Ghats.
In addition, special trails will be created for wildlife tourism. These include turtle trails along nesting sites in Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala, and bird-watching trails around Pulicat Lake.
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