India's Sustainable Tourism Market Will Be Around $216 Million In A Decade

India's sustainable tourism market is set to grow to $216 million in a decade from a modest $ 37 million at present, MakeMyTrip founder and Chairman Deep Kalra has stated.

Addressing a travel conclave, Kalra highlighted the enormous potential presented by the sustainable tourism growth opportunity.

"India's sustainable tourism market is still modest in size. It's about 37 million in dollar terms. Today it should have been about Rs. 320 crore but growing to $ 216 million in 10 years will be among the fastest growing markets," he observed.

The MakeMyTrip founder shared that in terms of sustainability, today, only one to two per cent of all tourism in India can be called sustainable, and that's a stark contrast from international numbers in terms of enablers. He informed that globally, sustainable tourism is set to grow to a whopping $ 11.4 trillion in ten years from about $3.12 trillion in the current financial year.

"We're talking about 2.73 trillion last year in dollar terms, to 3.12 trillion in the current financial year. But in 10 years, we expect it to go to $11.4 trillion, which will be about 10 per cent of all sustainable travel," Kalra said on the global sustainable tourism growth scenario. In India, the Ministry of Tourism has formulated a National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism with strategic pillars for its development, including promoting environmental sustainability, protecting biodiversity, promoting economic sustainability, promoting socio-cultural sustainability, and scheme for certification of sustainable tourism, among others.