Goa: The footfall of foreign tourists in India during the January-April period this year is 166 percent over the same period in 2022, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday.

"The number of foreign tourists who arrived in India this year during January-April is 166 percent higher than the figures for the corresponding period in 2022," Reddy said while addressing an inaugural session of the fourth G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting here.

Reddy also said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign tourist arrivals in India have increased.

"India's inbound travel is expected to reach to pre-pandemic level in 2023," he asserted.

G20 Tourism Working Group Meetings were held under India’s Presidency and it includes first meeting at Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, second at Siliguri, West Bengal, third meeting at Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir and had some insightful, thought provoking and positive discussions on different types of tourism products with experts, innovators, and leaders from, across the world.

He also added that a visit to India, would be incomplete, without experiencing the beauty, greatness and richness of our spiritual strength and diversity of different places of the country. “We are home to more than, 50 Shakti Peethas, where the divinity of women is worshipped. India is the birth place of Sikhism and we have the Sikh Golden Temple, Amritsar, which is a symbol of brotherhood and equality.

“India is the birthplace of Buddhism and Jainism and has around 80% Hindu population.  The 200 large Buddhist monasteries across India remind us of the Buddhist principles of non-violence and the Jain philosophy of living in harmony with natural forms, the basis for the Government’s Mission LiFE - Lifestyle For Environment.”

The final meeting will provide us all, action points and recommendations for national and other governments, and other tourism stakeholders, to act upon to achieve, Sustainable Development Goals.

“Currently our Indian government has two priorities: Sustainable infrastructure creation, to cater to the growing needs of the tourists,  and raising awareness among the tourists,  for responsible consumption and adoption of an environmentally conscious lifestyle and through the launch of the G20 Tourism and SDG Dashboard, a legacy has been created.

The dashboard being developed will promote policies and initiatives by the G20 countries, and guest countries in building a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient sector.

He also appealed to that together and build a more diverse, resilient, and sustainable tourism sector for our future generations.