India’s tourism future will not be built by chance. It will be shaped through careful planning, strong standards, sustainability, innovation and effective destination management.
It was a privilege to attend the National Consultative Workshop on Developing Tourist Destinations to Global Standards, held at the iconic Statue of Unity.
The workshop was organised under the leadership of the Hon’ble Union Minister for Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and in the presence of the Hon’ble Minister of State for Tourism, Shri Suresh Gopi. It brought together senior policymakers, government officials and tourism leaders from across the country to discuss the future of destination development in India.
A Shared Vision for Indian Tourism
Guided by the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the discussions focused on building a stronger, globally competitive and sustainable tourism ecosystem.
India possesses extraordinary natural, cultural, spiritual and historical assets. However, transforming these assets into world-class tourism experiences requires more than infrastructure alone. It requires destination planning, accessibility, visitor management, service standards, local participation and long-term sustainability.
The workshop provided an important platform to examine how destinations across India can be developed in a manner that improves visitor experiences while preserving their unique identity and benefiting local communities.
Goa’s Participation
The Goa Tourism delegation was headed by Sandip Jacques, IAS, Government of Goa.
The deliberations were led by senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, including:
- Bhuvnesh Kumar, Secretary, Tourism
- Suman Billa, IAS, Additional Secretary
- Suvashish Das, Joint Secretary
- Harikishore, Joint Secretary
- Gyan Bhushan, Senior Economic Advisor
Their insights helped shape discussions around destination planning, institutional frameworks, sustainability, investment, visitor experience and the adoption of global tourism standards.
Creating Future-Ready Destinations
The workshop focused on developing tourism destinations that are:
- Globally competitive
- Sustainable and environmentally responsible
- Experience-driven
- Accessible and visitor-friendly
- Supported by strong destination management systems
- Capable of generating meaningful benefits for local communities
The future of tourism lies in creating destinations that are not merely visited, but experienced, understood and valued.
For Goa, these discussions are particularly relevant as the state continues to strengthen its positioning through Regenerative Tourism and Goa Beyond Beaches. The objective is to diversify tourism, promote culture, heritage, spirituality and the hinterland, and ensure that tourism contributes positively to the economy, environment and local communities.
Towards World-Class Tourism Development
Developing destinations to global standards requires collaboration between the Union Government, state governments, local authorities, industry stakeholders and communities.
Such consultative platforms are important because they allow states to learn from each other, identify common challenges and create a coordinated approach to tourism development.
India has the potential to become one of the world’s leading tourism destinations. Achieving this vision will require consistent planning, responsible growth, better visitor experiences and a commitment to preserving the character of every destination.
The National Consultative Workshop was an important step towards building a future-ready tourism ecosystem and advancing India’s vision for world-class destination development.
Incredible India | Ministry of Tourism, Government of India | Government of Goa
#IncredibleIndia #GoaTourism #TourismIndia #DestinationDevelopment #SustainableTourism #GovernmentOfIndia