Overview

• The UNWTO marked September 27 with the theme “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation,” with official global celebrations in Melaka, Malaysia.
• India’s Ministry of Tourism signed MoUs with Netflix, Atithi Foundation and leading online travel agencies to promote destinations through storytelling, strengthen research and capacity building, and capture post-travel feedback.
• A Project Management Information System was launched to enable real-time monitoring of tourism infrastructure projects, alongside the release of the 66th India Tourism Data Compendium reporting record arrivals and India’s rank at 20th in international tourist arrivals.
• Uttar Pradesh inaugurated an upgraded Regional Tourism Office in Agra and flagged off student eco, heritage and spiritual tours, with rural districts hosting heritage walks, craft displays and plantation drives.
• Coverage underscored tourism’s scale—about 10% of global GDP and one in ten jobs—and a post‑pandemic rebound to 1.4 billion international arrivals in 2024, with calls for stronger governance, robust monitoring, greener operations and inclusive models.