‘Incredible India’ splash at World Travel Market in London

London, Nov 7 (PTI) Ministers from several Indian states called on the members of the diaspora based in the UK to act as cultural ambassadors for the lesser-known gems that the Asian country has to offer to the travellers.

Ministers from Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Goa also highlighted the overwhelmingly positive response at the World Travel Market (WTM) 2025 while speaking at a special Travellers’ Paradise event here.

The event was hosted by the High Commission of India in London on Thursday evening.

The ‘Incredible India’ tourism campaign made a strong impact at the WTM 2025, one of the world’s largest annual gatherings for the travel industry, in London this week, the ministers said as India was one of the only countries to have over a dozen stalls to showcase the diverse offerings from different states.

The India Pavilion at WTM, held from November 4-6, showcased the growth trajectory of India’s tourism market, which attracted over 20.57 million international tourist arrivals in the past year.

At the event at India House that brought together several stakeholders in the Indian tourism space, the ministers called on members of the diaspora based in the UK to act as cultural ambassadors for the lesser-known gems that India has to offer to travellers.

“The last two days have been incredible because we all know that our country has everything that you can imagine,” said Diya Kumari, the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

“Even though we know that everyone knows about India, everyone knows we have Yoga, we have spirituality, we have amazing forts, palaces, we have food, culture, dances, festivals. We have it all and our states are so diverse… but still, I think we need to speak out more,” she said.

“Each and every country had one stall at WTM, but India had more than 15 stalls which reflects our unity in diversity,” said Kandula Durgesh, tourism minister for Andhra Pradesh.

Dharmendra Singh Lodhi, tourism minister for Madhya Pradesh, and Goa’s minister Rohan Khaunte also highlighted the offerings of their respective states within the wider ‘Incredible India’ context.

“Our country believes in the philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' or the whole world as one family and we would like you all to give us the opportunity to showcase our 'Atithi Devo Bhava' (guest is akin to God) ideals when you visit,” Lodhi said in his address in Hindi.

The Goan minister spoke of the region's focus on pitching itself to capitalise on the growing trend of international “digital nomads”, with the coastal state as an ideal location to work from home.

“The Mission Viksit Bharat 2047 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put across covers three important Ts of trade, technology and tourism. All the states have begun to work towards each of these,” said Khaunte.

According to official Ministry of Tourism estimates, the UK along with the US and Australia remain among the top source countries for inbound tourists to India.

The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) from several major source countries such as United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Canada have shown an upward trend in 2024, the Ministry of Tourism said.

“The World Tourism Market underscores the importance of creating and sustaining the bridge that tourism is in promoting art, culture, experience, cuisine and shaping the multicultural world in which we live,” said Vikram Doraiswami, Indian High Commissioner to the UK.

“We currently pride ourselves as one of the world's largest emerging markets, but we are also one of the world's most emerging markets when it comes to tourism. We have every kind of tourism possible in India,” he said. PTI AK NPK NPK