Parliament Question: Sustainability of tourism

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.778 ANSWERED ON 05.02.2026 SUSTAINABILITY OF TOURISM 778 DR. ASHOK KUMAR MITTAL: Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state: (a) whether tourism development initiatives adequately address environmental sustainability and local community participation and if so, the details thereof and if not, reasons therefor; (b) whether safety, sanitation and infrastructure standards at tourist destinations are periodically reviewed, and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; (c) whether benefits from tourism growth are reaching local stakeholders and small service providers and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and (d) the steps taken to balance tourism promotion with environmental protection and cultural preservation? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) to (d): Development and promotion of tourism including aspects related to environmental sustainability, local community participation, safety, sanitation etc. primarily falls under the purview of the concerned State Government/UT Administration. However, Ministry of Tourism under its various schemes provides financial assistance for development of tourism infrastructure and experiences in the country by extending financial assistance to the SGs/UTAs on receipt of the project proposals from them, in synergy with the scheme guidelines, Government directions, availability of funds, inter-se priority etc. The components considered for sanctioning under the projects also include those related to sustainability, safety, sanitation etc. as per project requirement. The Ministry revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 in 2022 with the focus to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations in the country and sanctioned 53 projects for Rs.2208.31 Crore in the country. The scheme recognizes that to minimize the negative impacts and maximise the positive impacts of tourism, sustainable and responsible tourism practices is the key. The scheme focuses on implementation of sustainable and responsible tourism practices in various projects and initiatives and also encourages adoption of principles of sustainable tourism including environmental sustainability, socio-cultural sustainability and economic sustainability. It also includes consultation with local communities and stakeholder while preparing projects for development of destinations, encourages use of renewable energy, eco-friendly material, development of accessible infrastructure, sensitize tourists to respect environment and encourage responsible behaviour. Ministry of Tourism launched ‘Challenge Based Destination Development’ as an initiative under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme with the intention to undertake holistic development of the destination to enhance tourist experience across all points of tourist value chain, which also focuses on transforming destinations as sustainable and responsible destinations. The Ministry has accordingly sanctioned 38 projects for about Rs.698 Crore in the country under this initiative.Ministry of Tourism periodically reviews the progress of projects sanctioned under its various schemes and encourages State Government/UT Administrations to undertake robust operation and management of these projects so that the benefits accruing from the same reaches to the local community and stakeholders. The Ministry has released National Strategy for sustainable tourism which aims to mainstream sustainability in the Indian tourism sector and ensure more resilient, inclusive, carbon-neutral and resource-efficient tourism while safeguarding natural and cultural resources and the key stakeholders in the initiative also includes non-government organization and local community. The Ministry envisaged ‘Travel for LiFE (TFL)’, a programme for tourism sector under Mission LiFE, to create awareness about sustainable tourism and to nudge the tourists and tourism businesses to adopt sustainable practices synchronous with nature. The programme aims to mainstream sustainability into tourism sector towards developing a sustainable, responsible and resilient tourism sector. *****