National Tourism Day 2021: History And Significance Of This Day

In India, every year 25 January is observed as the National Tourism Day. Established by the Government of India, the day is observed with an aim of promoting tourism in India. It is also aimed at spreading awareness related to the rich heritage of our country. This National Tourism Day we are here to tell you more about this day in detail. Read on:

History

When India gained its independence from the British Raj in 1947, a Tourist Traffic Committee was formed in the year 1948. The committee was formed to form and promote the tourism industry in India. This was the first time when any committee for tourism was formed in India. The regional office of the committee was decided to be set up in Mumbai and Delhi. However, in 1951, two additional offices were set up in Chennai and Kolkata.

Further in 1958, an independent department for tourism was formed under the government of India for the first time. This department came under the Ministry of Transport and Communication and it was headed by the Deputy General in the rank of Joint Secretary.

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Significance

• The day is observed with an aim of making people aware of the importance of tourism in India.
• Since tourism promotes the economic development of the country, National Tourism Day is celebrated with utmost importance throughout the country.
• If reports are to be believed, the World Travel and Tourism Council found out that the tourism industry contributed around 9.2% of India's GDP in 2018 which roughly constituted Rs.16.91 lakh crore (US$240 billion).
• On this day, the government releases various campaigns and ad films to promote the tourism sector and make people acknowledge the role of tourism in the Indian economy.
• As we know that India is a country of rich heritage and culture and therefore, tourists across the world prefer visiting India throughout the year.
• Due to the worldwide pandemic, people are hoping for an increase in the tourism sector and thus this will boost the tourism industry in India.
• In India, there are 38 World Heritage sites as recognised by Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization till August 2019.