The Union Minister of Tourism and Culture (I/C) Shri Prahlad Singh Patel held a Brainstorming Session on Promotion of Incredible India - Post Covid-19 with Influencers and Travel Media in New Delhi today. Around 30 influencers and travel Media representatives participated in the brainstorming session. DG, Tourism, Smt Meenakshi Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director ITDC, G Kamala Vardhana Rao, ADG Tourism, Smt Rupinder Brar, Joint Secretary, Tourism Shri Rakesh Kumar Verma and other officials of Ministry of Tourism were also present during the session. It was the first physical meeting with stakeholders during Covid-19 pandemic which followed all precautions and social distancing norms of government’s SOP.

The Tourism Minister opened the session and requested all to give their valuable suggestions to promote tourism in India. He said that we all represent India and it is our responsibility to think about post Covid-19 tourism opportunity in our country. He said that this is the platform where we can talk about the problem as well as solutions with reference to tourism related activities. Shri Patel said that India will pick up the speed in tourism sector again once the situation gets normal. We all should be prepared for the post Covid-19 world where we can serve tourists a better and safe environment to enhance their travel experiences. He said that people are very positive and ready to explore the beauty of India with all precautions; we should create an environment where they could trust  us during this pandemic.

During the session different influencers and travel media representatives shared their experiences and provided their valuable suggestions to make tourism safer, friendly, accessible, responsiblevand affordable for all tourists, especially for women. Some participants gave suggestion to focus on domestic tourism and less popular sites of India. They said that India is the home for hidden gems and we should promote tourism in these areas by providing information and facilities in these lesser known great tourist destinations. One participant suggested opening more sites for camping with safety measures so that we can promote adventure tourism in India. Suggestions regarding promoting experiential tourism also came from a participant; he said that it will encourage other tourists also to explore different destinations. During the discussion it was also observed that in order to promote tourism among masses information sharing mechanism should be very strong.

At the end of the session, the Tourism Minister thanked all the participants for their active participation in the brainstorming session. He said that we want participation from all stakeholders in our policy making therefore we have invited all of you to provide your feedback to us. He said that we have noted your suggestions and these will be incorporated in our future policy planning. Shri Patel hoped that India will emerge again as a favorite tourist destination after Covid-19 era till then we should focus on our domestic tourism because now those Indians who were to visit foreign destinations will visit only domestic destinations which will give strength to our tourism industry.

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NB/AKJ/OA