Panaji, Jun 20 (IANS): Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said that foreign tourist arrivals during the period of January to April 2023 were 166 per cent higher than compared to last year.

G. Kishan Reddy was speaking during the 4th Tourism Working Group Meeting under G20 underway in Goa.

"Our foreign tourist arrivals after Covid-19 have now increased. During the period from January to April 2023 it is 166 per cent higher than compared to the arrivals registered during the last year for same period," he said.

The minister said that a visit to India, would be incomplete, without experiencing the beauty, greatness and richness of our spiritual strength and diversity of different places of the country.

"Since ancient times, travelling to India was an avenue for finding oneself and India has always been a popular destination for travellers from all corners of the globe seeking and self-discovery. This has provided opportunities for people across 200 countries and varied faiths to experience India's culture and spiritual heritage," Reddy said.

He added that the final meeting will provide action points and recommendations for national and other governments, and other tourism stakeholders, to act upon to achieve, sustainable development goals.

"Currently our government has two priorities, they are sustainable infrastructure creation, to cater to the growing needs of the tourists, and raising awareness among the tourists, for responsible consumption and adoption of an environmentally conscious lifestyle and through the launch of the G20 Tourism and SDG Dashboard, a legacy has been created," Reddy said.

He said that the dashboard being developed, shall promote policies and initiatives by the G20 countries, and guest countries in building a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient sector.

Reddy also appealed to build a more diverse, resilient, and sustainable tourism sector for the future generation.