Jaipur Emerges as Global Tourism Dialogue Hub, GITB Showcases Rajasthan’s New Experience-Driven Tourism Vision
Jaipur : Jaipur once again emerged as the center of global tourism dialogue as the 15th Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB), held from April 26 to 28 at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre (JECC), highlighted how tourism today has evolved beyond the promotion of scenic destinations into a powerful convergence of policy, investment, culture, and diplomacy.
The event projected Rajasthan as an experience-driven, investment-oriented, and partnership-focused tourism destination, showcasing the state’s evolving tourism ecosystem before a global audience.
Organized jointly by the Rajasthan Tourism Department, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and FICCI, the event stood out as a mature example of successful public-private partnership.
Tourism being developed as Rajasthan’s ‘Growth Engine’
Addressing the inaugural session at Jai Mahal Palace, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Tourism, Art and Culture Diya Kumari reaffirmed the state government’s vision of establishing Rajasthan as a world-class tourism destination.
She emphasized that tourism has become a key pillar of employment generation, investment attraction, and cultural confidence. Stressing the importance of experience-based tourism, she highlighted initiatives focused on lake conservation, desert ecology, preservation of forts and havelis, wildlife destination development, and the expansion of MICE, film, and spiritual tourism.
Aligning the state’s tourism vision with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ roadmap, Diya Kumari said tourism is now a major driver of inclusive economic growth, directly supporting livelihoods across Rajasthan.
She added that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, tourism is being advanced as a strategic growth engine with priorities centered on transparent governance, private investment, and sustainability.
Investment-friendly policies and digital transformation key to tourism growth
Rajasthan Chief Secretary V. Srinivas described investment-friendly policies, improved connectivity, PPP models, and digital management systems as the backbone of tourism development.
Senior Ministry of Tourism official Suman Billa outlined the national tourism vision, stating that India aims to double tourism’s contribution to GDP in the coming years, with platforms like GITB playing a crucial role in connecting smaller stakeholders to global markets.
Tourism Department Principal Secretary Shuchi Tyagi said the Rajasthan government has prioritized tourism as a “growth engine sector,” enabling policy alignment, investment, and local participation to move forward together.
Global participation reflects Rajasthan’s growing tourism appeal
The exhibition, inaugurated on April 27 at JECC, brought together 185–195 foreign tour operators from 50 countries, along with state tourism boards, hotel groups, resorts, destination management companies (DMCs), and travel technology firms from across India.
Over 10,000 pre-scheduled B2B meetings held over two days underscored the event’s strong business orientation.
The event showcased a diverse tourism portfolio including heritage, wellness, wildlife, spiritual, rural, and eco-tourism, helping position Rajasthan as a year-round experiential destination beyond its traditional image of forts and palaces.
Knowledge paper highlights future tourism trends
A knowledge paper released jointly by FICCI and EY Voy explored emerging inbound tourism trends, technological advancements, and transformative opportunities shaping the future of the sector.
Rajasthan’s cultural soul takes center stage
The cultural presentation ‘Ekam – The Spirit of Oneness’ captivated audiences through a fusion of classical and folk dance performances, reflecting Rajasthan’s cultural richness and reinforcing the theme of unity in diversity.
Excellence Awards recognize industry leaders
On the second day, the Travel and Tourism Excellence Awards honored institutions and individuals for outstanding contributions at national and state levels, promoting innovation, quality, and competitiveness within the tourism industry.
Palace on Wheels strengthens luxury tourism identity
On the concluding day, foreign tour operators were given an exclusive tour of the iconic Palace on Wheels at Khatipura Railway Station, offering them a first-hand experience of Rajasthan’s luxury tourism excellence.
Familiarization tours build confidence through experience
Beginning April 29, 45 foreign tour operators were dispatched on three curated familiarization (FAM) tour circuits:
- Jaipur–Kota–Udaipur–Deogarh
- Jaipur–Abhaneri–Sariska–Ranthambore
- Jaipur–Pushkar–Jodhpur–Jaisalmer–Bikaner–Mandawa
These tours aim to enable global operators to experience Rajasthan firsthand and market the destinations more effectively in international tourism circuits.
Tourism linked directly to livelihoods and regional development
A notable feature of the event was the active participation of local guides, car rental operators, self-help groups, eco-tourism initiatives, and small entrepreneurs, reinforcing the message that tourism is directly linked to livelihoods, local economies, and balanced regional development.
Rajasthan’s cultural soft power on global display
Amid global geopolitical uncertainties, participation from 50 countries highlighted the enduring strength of Rajasthan and India’s cultural soft power in attracting international interest.
Rajasthan tourism moves beyond conventional promotion
GITB 2026 made it clear that Rajasthan’s tourism sector is moving decisively beyond traditional destination marketing toward structured global engagement, investment-friendly policies, and immersive experience-led tourism models.
If the business dialogues translate into long-term partnerships, FAM tour experiences evolve into international travel packages, and the quality benchmarks set by the awards are sustained, Rajasthan is poised to firmly establish itself as a world-class, experience-based global tourism destination in the years ahead.