Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed G20 Tourism Ministers meet in Goa via video message and said unlike terrorism, tourism has the potential to unite people from all walks of life, creating a harmonious society.

Modi said ancient scriptures of India have a saying Atithi Devo Bhavah, meaning guest is god. “And, that is our approach to tourism. Our tourism is not just about sight-seeing. It is an immersive experience. Whether it is music or food, arts or culture, the diversity of India is truly majestic,” he said.

From high Himalayas to dense forests, from dry deserts to beautiful beaches, from adventure sports to meditation retreats, India has something for everyone, he said.

“During our G20 Presidency, we are organizing nearly 200 meetings in 100 different locations all over India. If you ask your friends who have already visited India for these meetings, I am sure that no two experiences will be alike,” he said.

The prime minister said, “From transport infrastructure to the hospitality sector, to skill development, and even in our visa systems, we have kept the tourism sector as a focal point of our reforms.”

He said the hospitality sector has great potential for employment generation, social inclusion, and economic progress. It employs more women and youth compared to many other sectors. “I am glad we are also recognising the relevance of tourism sector for speedy achievement of Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.

Modi said India’s efforts in this sector are centred on preserving its rich heritage, and at the same time, creating world class infrastructure for tourism. Spiritual Tourism is a focus area as India attracts pilgrims of every major religion of the world.

After the infrastructure upgrade, “the eternal city of Varanasi,” just one of the major spiritual centres, now attracts 70 million pilgrims – a ten-fold increase from earlier times. “We are also creating new tourist attractions, such as the Statue of Unity. As the tallest statue in the world, it attracted about 2.70 million people within a year after it was built,” Modi said.

The prime minister said the Tourism Ministers had agenda of five inter-connected priority areas of Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skill Development, Tourism MSMEs, and Destination Management.

These priorities reflect Indian as well as the Global South’s priorities, he said. “We should make greater use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and augmented reality to drive innovation. For example, in India, we are working on using artificial intelligence to enable real-time translation of the wide range of languages spoken in India,” the prime minister added.

He said collaboration among governments, entrepreneurs, investors, and academia can accelerate such technology implementation in tourism. Tourism companies should be helped to increase their access to finance, and given easier business regulations, and help to invest in skill development.

The prime minister was happy that a G20 Tourism dashboard was being developed in partnership with UNWTO. It will bring together best practices, case studies and inspiring stories. It will be a first-of-its-kind platform and will be an enduring legacy.

Modi said the tourism ministers’ deliberations and the ”Goa Roadmap” would multiply collective efforts to realize tourism’s transformative power. The motto of India’s G20 Presidency ”Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”- ”One Earth, One Family, One Future” can itself be a motto for global tourism, he said.