Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, during an interaction with the media at the Meet in India Conclave 2025 in Jaipur on Sunday, May 4, said that the terror attack in Pahalgam is “heart-wrenching” and acknowledged that it has “impacted the development of six tourist destinations in the Valley”. He, however, expressed that tourists who have placed their faith in visiting the union territory will help it bounce back. He also reaffirmed Centre’s vision to position India among the world’s top 10 tourist destinations through the promotion of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism, adding that India is on track to become the world’s third largest economy, with its GDP expected to double every 7-8 years. 

“India will be a $32 trillion economy by 2047 and tourism will contribute 10% to it, amounting to $3 trillion- aligning with PM Modi’s Viksit Bharat vision,” Shekhawat said from the podium of the conclave powered by FICCI.  

‘Tourists are helping Kashmir heal’

Speaking about the recent dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 people, the minister acknowledged its negative impact on tourism in the Valley. 

“Last year, Kashmir made significant progress in tourism, with 2.5 crore people visiting the region. From experiencing the beauty of Kashmir’s valleys to witnessing the cultivation of lavender, many people have travelled there. A complete roadmap has been drawn up for the development of six tourist destinations in the Valley. This incident will definitely deal a blow to those plans,” Shekhawat told FinancialExpress.com. 

ALSO READ

He added, “I want to thank the citizens of the country who visited the region. Even though this incident affected Kashmir’s potential and led to the cancellation of plans, I want to appreciate the courage and spirit of those who returned to Kashmir as tourists,” before adding that “its revival is also happening at the same pace”. 

“They [tourists] have made a great contribution to both the country and Kashmir. Their visit is helping Kashmir heal, and it will certainly play a major role in overcoming this setback and reestablishing Kashmir as a thriving destination,” he went on to say. 

‘Doing best to minimise dent on Kashmir’

Shekhawat had earlier said that the Centre is trying its best to “minimise the dent on Kashmir” with the help of Jammu and Kashmir’s tourism department. 

“Deeply pained by the brutal terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, J&K. My thoughts are with the families of the victims of this cowardly act, perpetrators of which will face the harshest consequences,” he had written on X (formerly Twitter). 

According to the Jammu and Kashmir tourism department, around 2.1 crore tourists, including Amarnath yatris, visited the union territory in 2023. This marks a significant increase compared to previous years, a trend reportedly fueled by the abrogation of Article 370, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status under the Indian Constitution.

‘Aiming to position India among top 10 tourist destinations’: Shekhawat

The minister said that the government is aiming to make India among the top 10 most popular tourist destinations in the world by enhancing the overall experience for tourists, creating new attractions and improving infrastructure. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the top 10 International Tourist Arrival (ITA) source countries are France, Spain, the US, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, the UK, Germany, Greece, and Austria. 

‘India is aiming to be a MICE powerhouse’: Tourism Minister

Shekhawat said that MICE can help India boost its tourism economy. He added that with “concentrated, synchronised efforts” between the Centre and states, India could become one of the top 50 MICE destinations, attracting longer stays, more spending and international visitors. 

“We need to collaborate with NITI Aayog to contemplate how we can position at least 10 Indian cities among the top 50 MICE destinations,” he said during the conclave.

‘Tourism is an important sector for us to track’: NITI Aayog

Suman Bery, Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog, said that tourism and hospitality are among the largest employers globally and that India should mirror this by making tourism one of the largest job-creating sectors in the country.

“Tourism and its initiatives should be leveraged to steadily upskill the people working in this industry, which in turn will increase their compensation levels,” he said at the conclave. 

Bery also stressed the need to build more conventional centres to support concert tourism, sports and MICE events. 

Earlier, Shekhawat and Berry held discussions on how the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) and Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) can be aligned with the national vision for tourism development.

In his Budget speech in March this year, CM Omar Abdullah stressed tourism, stating that the government is aiming to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to GSDP from 7 per cent to at least 15 per cent over the next four to five years. He had mentioned the word “tourism” over 20 times.