'Create destinations, market globally': Amitabh Kant's pitch to attract foreign tourists to India
It's important to get international tourism to India. They are very well-paying tourists abroad, says Amitabh Kant
- Sep 24, 2025,
- Updated Sep 24, 2025 8:44 PM IST
Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has said India must position itself as a high-value tourism destination, attracting "the rich and famous" rather than aiming for mass tourism. He argued that India should market itself as an exclusive experience-driven destination for global travellers.
"India should not be a mass tourism destination," Kant said in an interview with Vir Sanghvi for The Print. "India should attract the rich and famous. It should be a value destination. It should be the upper end of the market. What you should aim is to really provide the unique experience of India, whether it’s through your palaces or through Ayurveda. You should get long-staying tourists into India. Never sell India cheap. Sell it expensively. Get the right clientele into India."
When asked whether India was too expensive - hotels cost too much and airfares were too high, Kant disagreed and said: "I don't think that's a valid reason. Hotels have become very expensive abroad as well if you go there the upper end of the market. And I don't think India should attract the lower end of the market."
The former bureaucrat, who is known for reviving Kerala tourism, pointed to India's growing aviation sector and airport infrastructure as an opportunity. "We are on the verge of buying about 1,800 planes. Now 1,800 planes means we already sending out about 30 million tourists abroad. You'll become the biggest exporter of tourists from India to the rest of the world. We need to bring tourists to India not the other way around," he said.
He said that tourism should be seen as a driver of employment. "More than the growth of tourism is the job creation which is very critical," he added.
Kant said foreign tourists would add significant value beyond spending. "It's important to get international tourism to India. They are very well-paying tourists abroad. More than that, the word of mouth of foreign tourists, their experiences, your ability to create better products is very important," he said.
He rejected the view that the Indian tourism industry could afford to rely on domestic demand, warning that such an approach would harm the country's long-term prospects. "That's a very very very damaging thing to do because you need to take a long-term perspective. No destination in the world has only grown on the back of domestic tourism," he said. "Also, you need to build new hotels and resorts over a long period of time. Tourism has to constantly grow. We need to ensure that all these chains continue to grow and expand in India."
Asked what he would do if given charge of the tourism ministry, Kant said: "What I would really like to do - one, is to ensure that we are able to create five great destinations. Create about six great circuits, which India has the ability to do. Then promote very vigorously products abroad internationally but also promote and market them to our domestic tourists as well."
He identified states such as Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh as underutilised destinations. "For instance, while we talk about Kerala, I think Karnataka is an amazing destination. It has heritage, it has wildlife, and it has backwaters. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh chasing the monsoon in Orchha can be - it's just mindboggling. So many of these products have not yet been explored."
In the last few years, India has fallen behind emerging destinations such as Sri Lanka and Vietnam in attracting foreign tourists, despite its scale, diversity, and heritage.
Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has said India must position itself as a high-value tourism destination, attracting "the rich and famous" rather than aiming for mass tourism. He argued that India should market itself as an exclusive experience-driven destination for global travellers.
"India should not be a mass tourism destination," Kant said in an interview with Vir Sanghvi for The Print. "India should attract the rich and famous. It should be a value destination. It should be the upper end of the market. What you should aim is to really provide the unique experience of India, whether it’s through your palaces or through Ayurveda. You should get long-staying tourists into India. Never sell India cheap. Sell it expensively. Get the right clientele into India."
When asked whether India was too expensive - hotels cost too much and airfares were too high, Kant disagreed and said: "I don't think that's a valid reason. Hotels have become very expensive abroad as well if you go there the upper end of the market. And I don't think India should attract the lower end of the market."
The former bureaucrat, who is known for reviving Kerala tourism, pointed to India's growing aviation sector and airport infrastructure as an opportunity. "We are on the verge of buying about 1,800 planes. Now 1,800 planes means we already sending out about 30 million tourists abroad. You'll become the biggest exporter of tourists from India to the rest of the world. We need to bring tourists to India not the other way around," he said.
He said that tourism should be seen as a driver of employment. "More than the growth of tourism is the job creation which is very critical," he added.
Kant said foreign tourists would add significant value beyond spending. "It's important to get international tourism to India. They are very well-paying tourists abroad. More than that, the word of mouth of foreign tourists, their experiences, your ability to create better products is very important," he said.
He rejected the view that the Indian tourism industry could afford to rely on domestic demand, warning that such an approach would harm the country's long-term prospects. "That's a very very very damaging thing to do because you need to take a long-term perspective. No destination in the world has only grown on the back of domestic tourism," he said. "Also, you need to build new hotels and resorts over a long period of time. Tourism has to constantly grow. We need to ensure that all these chains continue to grow and expand in India."
Asked what he would do if given charge of the tourism ministry, Kant said: "What I would really like to do - one, is to ensure that we are able to create five great destinations. Create about six great circuits, which India has the ability to do. Then promote very vigorously products abroad internationally but also promote and market them to our domestic tourists as well."
He identified states such as Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh as underutilised destinations. "For instance, while we talk about Kerala, I think Karnataka is an amazing destination. It has heritage, it has wildlife, and it has backwaters. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh chasing the monsoon in Orchha can be - it's just mindboggling. So many of these products have not yet been explored."
In the last few years, India has fallen behind emerging destinations such as Sri Lanka and Vietnam in attracting foreign tourists, despite its scale, diversity, and heritage.