FAITH seeks steps to attract more foreign tourists amid PM Modi's austerity call on international travel

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens to postpone foreign travel for a year, tourism and hospitality industry body FAITH on Monday said equal emphasis must be placed on attracting more international tourists to India to earn foreign exchange.

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens to postpone foreign travel for a year, tourism and hospitality industry body FAITH on Monday said equal emphasis must be placed on attracting more international tourists to India to earn foreign exchange. The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) called for various measures, including easing visa restrictions, improving connectivity, and significantly strengthening India's tourism promotion abroad, to attract foreign tourists. FAITH Secretary General Rajiv Mehra also endorsed the sentiment behind the Prime Minister's appeal, urging Indians to reduce leisure travel abroad and avoid holding weddings overseas. In recent years, there has been a growing trend of Indians travelling abroad for holidays, while affluent families are increasingly choosing foreign destinations for lavish weddings. ''The Prime Minister's statement reflects concern over the challenging foreign exchange situation the country is facing, particularly at a time when the geopolitical conflict between Iran and the US continues to create uncertainty and pressure on global markets. In such circumstances, conserving precious foreign exchange wherever possible becomes important,'' Mehra stated. He stressed that while saving foreign exchange by reducing outbound travel is understandable, equal emphasis must be placed on earning foreign exchange by attracting more international tourists to India. ''This requires easing visa restrictions, improving connectivity, and significantly strengthening India's tourism promotion abroad. It is unfortunate that a country blessed with immense natural beauty, cultural richness, spirituality and world-class historical monuments attracts only around two crore foreign tourists annually. ''India has the potential to emerge as one of the world's leading tourism destinations if the right policy support and global marketing efforts are undertaken,'' the FAITH Secretary General said.