**Executive Summary**
The Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, addressed the Tourism Leadership Summit 2026 organized by the US-India Partnership Forum in New Delhi on February 24, 2026. He emphasized tourism as a bridge between cultures, aligning tourism growth with environmental goals, and integrating emerging technologies like AI to enhance the tourism experience. The summit aims to strengthen the India-US economic corridor in travel and hospitality.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Tourism & Economic Growth:**
* Tourism is a bridge between cultures, a driver of economic opportunity, and a tool for soft diplomacy.
* India and the United States share deep people-to-people ties, shared values, entrepreneurial spirit, and a vibrant Indian diaspora.
* **Tourism Vision 2029:**
* India aims to develop at least one world-class tourist destination in every state.
* Initiative focuses on holistic tourism ecosystems with seamless connectivity, smart amenities, safety, sustainability, digital integration, and enriched visitor experiences.
* **Sustainable & Inclusive Tourism:**
* Tourism growth must align with environmental goals, advocating climate-conscious infrastructure and preservation of natural and cultural heritage.
* Focus on special preservation and development of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
* Promotes development of new-age destinations showcasing Indian achievements in space, digital public infrastructure, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing.
* Encourages investment in training, entrepreneurship, and women-led enterprises to promote inclusive and community-driven growth.
* **Technological Advancement:**
* Integration of emerging technologies such as AI to enhance the tourism experience.
* **India-US Cooperation:**
* The Summit is expected to mark a new chapter in India–US cooperation defined by sustainability, innovation, inclusivity, and shared prosperity.
**Impact Analysis**
**US-India Partnership Forum Organizers**
* **Impact:** They are appreciated for convening a platform to celebrate tourism and chart a strategic roadmap for strengthening the India-US economic corridor in travel and hospitality.
* **Action Required:** To build upon the current initiative for new opportunities.
**Tourism Stakeholders (India & US)**
* **Impact:** Encouraged to focus on sustainable tourism practices, and preservation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This initiative focuses on holistic tourism ecosystems with seamless connectivity, smart amenities, safety, sustainability, digital integration, and enriched visitor experiences.
* **Action Required:** Invest in training, entrepreneurship, and women-led enterprises for inclusive and community-driven growth. Integrate new-age technology into current tourism offerings.
Key Entities Referenced
Tourism Vision 2029: India's initiative to develop at least one world-class tourist destination in every State with robust infrastructure and global standards of hospitality.
Tourism Leadership Summit 2026: A summit in New Delhi addressed by the Vice-President of India, focusing on strengthening the India-US economic corridor in travel and hospitality.
US-India Partnership Forum: Organization that co-organized the Tourism Leadership Summit 2026.
New Delhi: Location of the Tourism Leadership Summit 2026.
Vice President's Secretariat
Vice-President Addresses Tourism Leadership
Summit 2026 in New Delhi
Tourism is a bridge between cultures, a driver of economic
opportunity, and a powerful instrument of soft diplomacy:
Vice-President
Tourism growth must align with environmental goals: Vice-
President
Vice-President emphasizes the integration of emerging
technologies such as AI to enhance the tourism experience
Posted On: 24 FEB 2026 3:25PM by PIB Delhi
The Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, addressed the Tourism Leadership Summit
organized by the US-India Partnership Forum in collaboration with the Sankala Foundation in New Delhi
today.
Vice-President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan addressed the Tourism Leadership
Summit 2026 organized by the US-India Partnership Forum in New Delhi today.
He highlighted that tourism is a bridge between cultures, a driver of economic
opportunity, and a powerful instrument of soft… pic.twitter.com/VxCraTZoWm
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) February 24, 2026
The Vice-President appreciated the organizers for convening a platform that not only celebrates the
promise of tourism but also charts a strategic roadmap for strengthening the India–US economic corridor
in travel and hospitality.
Emphasizing that tourism is more than an industry, Shri C.P.Radhakrishnan described it as a bridge
between cultures, a driver of economic opportunity, and a powerful instrument of soft diplomacy.‘Tourism is more than an industry. It is a bridge between cultures, a driver of
economic opportunity, and a powerful instrument of soft diplomacy.’ : Vice
President Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan at the Tourism Leadership Summit 2026 in
New Delhi today. pic.twitter.com/WvGxlc9lRU
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) February 24, 2026
He noted that the tourism between India and the United States reflects deep people-to-people ties, shared
values, entrepreneurial spirit, and the vibrancy of the Indian diaspora.
Referring to India’s forward-looking initiatives, he stated that under the vision of Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi, India has announced Tourism Vision 2029, aimed at developing at least one world-class
tourist destination in every State with robust infrastructure and global standards of hospitality. He
emphasized that this initiative goes beyond beautification and focuses on holistic tourism ecosystems with
seamless connectivity, smart amenities, safety, sustainability, digital integration, and enriched visitor
experiences.
Underscoring India’s civilizational heritage, diverse landscapes, and youthful demographic dividend, he
said the country is poised to redefine tourism globally. He called for special focus on the preservation and
world-class development of India’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites through enhanced visitor amenities,
interpretation centres, last-mile connectivity, sustainable practices, and digital storytelling.
Shri C.P.Radhakrishnan stressed that tourism growth must align with environmental goals, advocating
climate-conscious infrastructure, community-led tourism models, and preservation of natural and cultural
heritage.
He also highlighted the importance of developing new-age tourism destinations that showcase India’s
achievements in space, digital public infrastructure, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing. He
also emphasized the integration of emerging technologies such as AI to enhance Toursim experience.
Describing tourism as one of the largest generators of employment, the Vice-President called for greater
investment in training, entrepreneurship, and women-led enterprises to ensure inclusive and community-
driven growth.
Concluding his address, Shri C.P.Radhakrishnan expressed hope that the Summit would mark a new
chapter in India–US cooperation defined by sustainability, innovation, inclusivity, and shared prosperity.
***
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