NEW  DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, March 3,  said out-of-the-box thinking and long-term planning are needed to transform the tourism sector in the country.

"In the context of India, the scope of tourism is immense and is an integral part of our culture and history since antiquity," Prime Minister Modi remarked during a post-budget webinar on advancing the "Developing Tourism Mission." The Prime Minister noted that leisure travel is no longer just for the wealthy and stated that a revamp of the infrastructure and creative marketing strategies will make it simpler to visit to locations with mostly untapped tourism potential.

India's tourist industry can expand significantly and  if there are more public amenities, robust digital connectivity, hotels, and hospitals, he said.

Citing the example of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, PM said said the rejuvenation of the religious site boosted tourist footfall with more than 7 crore people visiting it last year.

Budget 2023 disucssed about selecting some tourist destinations in India  and developing those further in a competitive spirit, said the PM, adding that technology should be leveraged to this end. When tourists consider visiting India, we should create at least 50 destinations that will be on their list, he said.

PM Modi made the point that the tourist sector ought to capitalise on the rising appeal of destination weddings. It would encourage people to hold their wedding ceremony in different states if special packages were made available for such locations, he said. PM Modi continued, "The job potential that the tourist sector possesses is a huge factor that needs to be recognised and utilised.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during her presentation of the Union Budget 2023 to the Parliament that tourist marketing will shift into mission mode. A number of initiatives were launched for promotion and branding, and the Ministry of Tourism was given Rs 2,400 crore in the budget.

Some of these actions include the introduction of 50 new tourist locations, a tourist information app, the Vibrant Village Program to boost tourism in border settlements, and the establishment of "Unity Malls" in state capitals to market regional goods.

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