Kedia’s latest remarks, posted on Saturday, come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged Indians to avoid unnecessary international travel amid soaring crude oil prices and a sharp decline in the rupee. Against that backdrop, Kedia argued that India’s domestic tourism opportunity remains vastly underappreciated.
“India’s tourism potential is far bigger than most of us realise,” Kedia wrote, while acknowledging that infrastructure gaps, cleanliness, driving discipline, tourist convenience, ease of payments and general civic discipline continue to remain visible challenges.
However, he said these are precisely the areas which, if improved meaningfully, could transform tourism into one of India’s largest economic opportunities.
Kedia attributed his optimism to India’s unmatched diversity and scale, noting that very few countries can simultaneously offer spirituality, heritage, wellness, mountains, beaches, deserts, wildlife, cuisine and culture at such magnitude.
According to him, India’s tourism appeal extends far beyond the Taj Mahal and Rajasthan’s palace hotels. He pointed to destinations such as the Himalayas and Ladakh, Kerala’s backwaters, the ghats of Varanasi, the Rann of Kutch, Coorg, the Andaman Islands, Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga and Gir forests as globally unique experiences.
He also highlighted India’s architectural and civilisational depth, referring to landmarks such as the Meenakshi Temple, Golden Temple, Kailasa Temple at Ellora and Khajuraho.Kedia drew comparisons with tourism success stories such as Bali, Phuket and Vietnam, saying they demonstrate what focused execution can achieve. “The raw material is extraordinary. Execution will determine the outcome,” he wrote.
In another post dated May 13, Kedia described tourism as India’s “next trillion dollar story” if the country can “just get the basics right.”
In February last year, Kedia had called India’s tourism industry an “untapped goldmine”. He noted that the sector contributed $230 billion, or around 5% of GDP, in 2023, rising to nearly $253 billion in 2024. He also pointed out that the 45-day Kumbh alone was projected to generate $40 billion-$50 billion in economic activity.
Kedia said India possesses every ingredient required to become a global tourism powerhouse, including beaches, mountains, deserts, palaces, snow landscapes, temple architecture, cultural heritage, spiritual retreats, adventure tourism and wellness tourism.
But he stressed that infrastructure, safety and security, ease of travel, hygiene and better marketing remain the missing links.
“With the right focus, India’s tourism sector could soar to $1 trillion, creating millions of jobs and giving the economy a massive boost,” Kedia wrote.
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