The Hotel Association of India (HAI), the apex body of the Indian hospitality industry, has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent call urging citizens to travel within the country instead of opting for overseas destinations for leisure, conferences, events, and weddings.
While the initiative supports the conservation of foreign exchange during uncertain global economic conditions, it also creates a significant long-term opportunity to strengthen India’s inbound tourism economy and position the country as one of the world’s most attractive and preferred destinations for business travel, tourism and MICE destination.
K.B. Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India and Chairman – South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said, “Inbound tourism will be one of the defining growth engines for India’s hospitality sector in the years ahead. As India attracts more international travellers across leisure, business, medical, spiritual, and cultural segments, the sector must respond with scale, quality, and world-class infrastructure”.
The anticipated growth in domestic tourism demand will accelerate investment in tourism infrastructure and hospitality assets across the country. This includes the development of mid-market, premium and luxury hotels, resorts, wellness retreats, cruises, spiritual and religious circuits, heritage destinations and convention centres.
Higher inbound tourism will directly boost foreign exchange inflows through international spending on hotels, food and beverage, transport, retail, entertainment, healthcare, and destination experiences.
A focused and sustained push on inbound tourism has the potential to increase India’s tourism-related foreign exchange earnings by an additional 25–30 per cent over the coming years, he said.
Published on May 21, 2026