‘India to become country of choice’

Rupinder Brar, former Additional Director General, Tourism, GoI, says tourism is a game changer for India, both in terms of showcasing to the world the culture and heritage that it possesses, and thereby creating tremendous job and entrepreneurial opportunities.

TT Bureau

Rupinder Brar’s tenure as the Additional Director General of Tourism in the Union Ministry of Tourism had been remarkable. Her understanding of Indian tourism and diligent work for the industry holds her in high esteem. She believes in the potential of Indian tourism and proactively contributed to its growth, especially with the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ series.

When asked to pinpoint three key takeaways from her journey in the industry, she said, “It’s very hard to put incredible India’s takeaways into three points. But I would say it encompasses the social, cultural, and economic factors. Tourism is truly a game changer. And for me, I think that has been the biggest takeaway from my tenure here because tourism, the way India can be showcased, is truly incredible. And I think that has been the biggest learning.”

She said she has always known that India is diverse, but in the last three years, the exposure she got of witnessing India in the many layers that it possesses, has been an “amazing personal journey”.  “I think tourism is truly a game changer for India, both in terms of showcasing to the world the culture and the varied heritage that we have, thereby also creating tremendous job opportunities. The entrepreneurial opportunities that exist in tourism are just mind-blowing. So, it can be a huge game changer for the economy in India in terms of creating employment and in adding to the GDP for the country. And in terms of the social, I think the way you can showcase your country and the way that it brings people together is again something that is amazing in the whole ecosystem of tourism,” she said.

She said, “COVID allowed us to do things differently, even though financially it has taken a huge toll on the industry. But somewhere we are enriched by the fact that the disruption is so great that we all have to do things as usual, which is not possible and there are new ways of doing things. I am sure going forward, with the resilience that people have shown across the industry, both individually and collectively, there is no reason why Incredible India should not shine and be number one country of choice for travel, both for Indians themselves and for people from outside the world.”

She added, “I highly recommend everyone, given the increasing connectivity in India in recent years, both by air, road, inland, waterways, and railway, that we should take advantage of.  Along with the digital connection that is coming to our country, I really encourage the entire trade to start exploring the various splendors of India and start taking the travellers and tourists, both domestic as well as the inbound, to hitherto lesser-known areas. So, that has been my tagline and I continue to maintain that Dekhiye aur dikhaye apna sundar atulaye Bharat (see and make others see our beautiful incredible India)!”