The focus of the newly elected BJP government is to make the state a leader in the tourism sector in the country.
The number of domestic tourists visiting Rajasthan has increased by about 12 times in the last four years, with the number of foreign tourists also witnessing a sharp increase since the Covid-19-induced slump.
According to the Tourism Department, more than 15.1 million domestic tourists visited the state in 2020. In 2023, this number shot up to more than 179 million.
A total of 324.4 million domestic tourists visited Rajasthan from January 2020 to December 2023. On the other hand, more than 2.22 million foreign tourists visited the desert state to witness its historical heritage during the same period.
“Rajasthan is a major tourist attraction among tourists. After the corona pandemic, a large number of domestic tourists have started visiting the state. The number of foreign tourists has also increased significantly,” said Deputy Director of the Tourism Department, Daleep Singh Rathore. said.
The focus of the newly elected BJP government is to make the state a leader in the tourism sector in the country.
Recent visits by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and French President Emmanuel Macron to the state have helped Rajasthan project its image as a favored foreign destination for overseas elites.
Former member of the Royal Family of Jaipur and Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, who holds the portfolio of the tourism department, is actively holding meetings with foreign delegations for this purpose.
“The government is committed to transforming Rajasthan into a premier tourism destination. A 100-day action agenda has been given to the officials of the department. A comprehensive strategy needs to be formulated and implemented,” Diya Kumari said.
She said her plan involves collaboration with various departments to improve rail, road and air connectivity with the state.
Establishing quality basic infrastructure and improving hospitality services are also essential to the goal, she said.
Diya Kumari recently revealed the tourism figures when she was asked about it by BJP MLA Kalicharan Saraf in the Rajasthan Assembly.
According to her response, nearly 180 million domestic and 1.7 million foreign tourists came to Rajasthan in 2023.
A total of 15.1 million domestic tourists and 446,000 foreign tourists visited Rajasthan in 2020.
In 2021, 21.9 million domestic and 34,806 foreign tourists visited the state, while in 2022 it played host to 108.3 million domestic and 39,684 foreign tourists.
Saraf had asked for annual details of domestic and foreign tourist visits made in the state between January 2020 and December 2023.
The hotel association in the state is optimistic since the French President’s visit to Jaipur as it believes the visit will open new doors.
“During the corona pandemic, the number of foreign tourists decreased, while domestic tourists still came in large numbers. After the French President’s visit, there will be new opportunities as French tourists came in large numbers before the corona pandemic,” the hotels in Jaipur said. association president M. Hussain.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: February 4, 2024 | 8:17 am IST
