Tourism can create highest job opportunities, says G Kishan Reddy

The minister also stated that the tourist industry has a unique influence on a country since it not only serves as a major development engine but also improves a country’s soft power.

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Development of the North Eastern Region stated on Friday that tourism has one of the biggest job-creation potentials of any sector.

The minister remarked at the E-Conclave- Resilience and the Road to Recovery, “Tourism has always been a significant contributor to the country’s economic prosperity. In 2019, the industry generated USD 194 billion to the Indian economy and created around 40 million jobs, accounting for 8% of total employment in the country.”

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Tourism, according to Reddy, is more than simply appealing locations and recreational activities; it has emerged as one of the essential foundations of economic development, with one of the largest job-creation potentials across all industries. “Tourism can offer 78 employments for Rs 10 of investment, compared to 45 jobs in the industrial sector,” Reddy said.

The minister also stated that the tourist industry has a unique influence on a country since it not only serves as a major development engine but also improves a country’s soft power.

Furthermore, he stated that the COVID-19 epidemic has posed unprecedented difficulties to the tourist business, necessitating the need to innovate and rethink the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors.

Reddy praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for issuing a clarion appeal to all Indians to boost domestic tourism “PM Modi has asked all Indians to visit 15 Indian places by 2022. This would help our country’s tourist industry grow.”

“The Ministry is continuously talking with experts and stakeholders to re-energise the industry and solve the difficulties being encountered,” Reddy said, listing a host of initiatives taken by the Ministry of Tourism to increase tourism and attract investment.

He also praised the ministry’s efforts for its “Dekho Apna Desh” project, which he claimed kept the spirit of tourism alive during the lockdown.