Tax roadblock to tourism drive: India isn't 1st choice for foreign tourists
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep and the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya have reinforced India's focus on tourism, which is still struggling to recover from the effects of Covid-19 amid a stressed geopolitical and economic situation.
India offers attractive places for tourism, ranging from one of the wonders of the world, Taj Mahal, to heritage sites such as Khajuraho, Red Fort, Agra Fort, Qutub Minar, Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, and from pilgrimage areas like Puri, Rameswaram, Tirupati, Amritsar, Ujjain, Ayodhya, and Kedarnath, to wildlife sanctuaries and parks at Kaziranga, Ranthambore, Kanha, Sariska, and Corbett.
Travel and tourism (T&T) was projected to contribute $209.7 billion to the Indian economy in 2023, a little less than the $212.8 billion in 2019, according to the 2023 Economic Impact Research report by the World Travel & Tourism Council. The sector was projected to contribute 6 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, one percentage pointless than in 2019. It shows that the sector did not recover fully from the Covid-19 period even in 2023.
