India, May 31 -- New Delhi Union minister for tourism and culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Friday said the tourism sector's share of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would rise to 10% by 2030, in line with global benchmarks. The minister set out this ambitious target at the CII Annual Business Summit in New Delhi. The sector's share of GDP was 5% in 2022-23, according to a government release.

"India will align with global standards, with 10% of GDP coming from tourism," Shekhawat said. He linked this goal to broader economic growth, noting, "As our economy grows, parallelly our aspirational class will grow, and those people that have emerged from below the poverty line will commonly go for spiritual tourism."

The strategy i...