A Match Made in India

Director General of Tourism Mugdha Sinha's grand vision for wedding tourism...

- VINODINI RAO

As the newly appointed Director General of Tourism for India, Mugdha Sinha has a clear and bold vision for elevating the country's tourism sector to new heights. With a rich background in culture, administration, and a penchant for data-driven decision-making, Sinha is on a mission to make India the top global destination for travellers across various segments - including the rapidly growing sector of wedding tourism.

A SEAMLESS TRANSITION FROM CULTURE TO TOURISM

Having transitioned from her role in the Ministry of Culture, where she managed divisions dealing with Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Anthropology, Museums, Sinha now brings her passion for India's heritage into the tourism fold. To her, the relationship between culture and tourism is a symbiotic one.

"Culture has all the assets - the heritage offerings - and tourism has the ability to showcase those assets," says Sinha. "For me, culture and tourism are conjoined at the hip. Tourism needs culture for its unique offerings, and culture needs tourism for the visibility and footfalls."

In her new role, Sinha is responsible for marketing, product development, and leveraging India's unique cultural identity in global tourism markets. With a focus on adventure tourism, heritage tourism, wellness tourism, MICE, and niche areas like cruise and wedding tourism, her aim is to diversify the tourism portfolio, while ensuring that India's natural and cultural resources are managed sustainably.

"We are looking at developing homestays so people can experience how locals live, expanding adventure tourism, and emphasizing heritage tourism. Every tourism product we develop needs to provide an authentic experience," she explains.

INCREDIBLE TO INEVITABLE INDIA: SCALING TOURISM FOR 2047