India's Sustainable Tourism To Reach $216 Million Over Next Decade, Says MakeMyTrip Founder

India's sustainable tourism market is set to grow sixfold in the next ten years to reach $216 million, MakeMyTrip Founder and Chairman Deep Kalra said on Wednesday.

"Currently, the market is still modest in size, valued at about $37 million or roughly Rs 320 crore, but we see it growing to $216 million in 10 years' time to be among the fastest-growing markets," he observed.

Kalra added that barely 1-2% of all tourism can be categorised as sustainable, a stark contrast when compared internationally.

Globally, sustainable tourism is projected to grow to a whopping $11.4 trillion in ten years' time from about $3.12 trillion now.

"This would be about 10% of all travel," Kalra said.

He was speaking at the inaugural India Travel and Tourism Sustainability Conclave, jointly hosted by the MakeMyTrip Foundation and World Travel and Tourism Council India Initiative, in New Delhi.

In India, the Ministry of Tourism has formulated a strategy for sustainable tourism with strategic pillars for its development, including promoting environmental sustainability, protecting biodiversity, promoting economic sustainability, promoting socio-cultural sustainability, and a scheme for certification of sustainable tourism, among others.

"As we think about the future of India’s travel and tourism sector, it is clear that sustainability cannot remain a peripheral concern," Kalra said. "It must be embedded at the very core of how we envision the growth of businesses. This will require greater alignment between policy, industry, and implementation at the grassroots level."