New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has urged immediate reforms in India’s tourism sector, emphasizing the need to enhance safety for women and bridge gaps in the country’s hospitality infrastructure. The remarks were made at the Skal India National Congress 2025 event in Mumbai on Saturday.
Tharoor stressed that India’s international image is affected by concerns over women’s safety. “Our nation has an image that India is not safe for women. We need to change this image. We have to do something about it. More women police officers must be deployed in tourist areas,” he told reporters.
Highlighting the economic significance of tourism, Tharoor noted, “Tourism is very important. It provides employment and boosts government revenue. We need to improve our infrastructure to match the growing demand.” He also pointed out a key gap in India’s hospitality sector, saying, “We either have high-end five-star hotels or very poor-quality options; there is little in between. We need to construct a lot more facilities to accommodate tourists at all levels.”
His comments come as India’s tourism and hospitality industry shows a strong growth trajectory. A report by IDBI Capital projects the sector to reach nearly $60 billion by 2028, driven largely by domestic travel. Domestic tourist numbers are expected to rise from 2.5 billion in 2024 to 5.2 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4%. Overall spending by domestic and international travellers could nearly triple to Rs 33.95 trillion by 2034.
Improved connectivity via air, road, and rail is seen as a key driver of this growth, while the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) projects rising demand supported by corporate travel and an increase in meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) activities.
