Every Beautiful Journey Begins with a Shared Purpose

Our theme this year, “Incredible India, Invaluable Economics”, reminds us that tourism is about much more than holidays and sightseeing. It creates jobs, supports millions of livelihoods, preserves our culture and brings prosperity to communities across the country.

Having spent much of my life in tourism and exploring this beautiful planet of ours, I have learnt one enduring lesson: every meaningful journey begins with a shared purpose. No expedition succeeds because of one individual. It succeeds because every member of the team trusts the others, contributes their strengths and moves towards a common goal. That spirit of collaboration is exactly what brings us here today.

The FIFA World Cup has a wonderful rallying cry: “We Are 26.” It reminds the world that when different teams, cultures and nations come together, something truly extraordinary can happen. At FAITH, we are more like a cricket team. Our version is: “We Are 11” – 11 national tourism associations, 11 leaders, 11 perspectives and, yes, occasionally 11 opinions.

But that is the beauty of FAITH. Despite our diversity, we are united by one common purpose: to make tourism one of the strongest drivers of India’s economic growth and global standing. We come together today not merely as representatives of our respective sectors, but as one team with one vision. When Team India wins, every one of us wins. That is what the FAITH Conclave is all about.

India possesses some of the richest tourism assets anywhere in the world. As our Chairman, Mr Puneet Chhatwal, says, the question is no longer whether India has the potential. The challenge is how quickly we can unlock it in a sustainable manner.

FAITH has set an ambitious vision for 2047. We believe tourism can become a $3 trillion industry, welcome 100 million international visitors and create livelihoods for nearly 200 million Indians, directly and indirectly. These goals are ambitious, but they are achievable if we work together.

This vision aligns closely with the government’s aspiration to increase tourism’s contribution to around 10 per cent of GDP by 2047 as part of Viksit Bharat. Achieving it will require sustained collaboration between government and industry. It will require policy stability, investment, better infrastructure, and greater ease, speed and predictability in doing business.

That is why this conclave is so important. Over the next two days, we will exchange ideas, debate solutions and identify practical actions that can strengthen India’s tourism ecosystem.

The past few years have taught us that tourism can change overnight. A pandemic, a natural disaster, geopolitical events or changing traveller expectations can affect us all. Resilience, innovation and the ability to adapt have therefore become more important than ever.