India seeks boost in inbound tourism
India’s participation along with a country pavilion in the recently held ITB Berlin -- one of the world’s leading travel trade show -- provided a platform for strengthening existing partnerships, and establishing it as a premier 365-day global destination, the tourism ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry participated in ITB Berlin 2026, held from March 3-5 at Messe Berlin exhibition centre in Germany.
As the world’s leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin) is a key meeting point for the global tourism industry, providing an important platform for networking and exchange for the Indian travel stakeholders Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, along with an Indian delegation, took part in it, and he also engaged with a few leaders.
While addressing a press conference, the minister said, “Germany remains one of India’s most important tourism partners”. Germany ranks as the 8th largest tourist-generating source market for India with 260,000 (provisional figure) Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) from Germany in 2025, according to a statement issued by India’s tourism ministry.
Shekhawat also held “productive bilateral meetings” with Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Minister of Tourism of Indonesia, and Christoph Ploß, Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism of Germany.
The discussions focused on enhancing tourism flows, boosting sustainable travel, expanding air connectivity, and deepening people-to-people ties between the nations, it said.
The Union Minister also engaged with Shaikha Al Nowais, Secretary General, UNWTO, and discussed about different ways to enhance sustainable tourism development and regenerative tourism. India’s “strong presence” at the ITB, Berlin, highlighted the country’s strategic goal of further boosting inbound tourism and establishing the country as a premier 365-day global travel destination, the ministry said.
The key event “provided an important platform for strengthening existing partnerships, establishing new business relationships and promoting innovative travel routes and experiences”.
The diversity of the cultural and craft heritage was also showcased to visitors at the India Pavilion through ‘mehendi’ and other activities such as block printing and calligraphy, it said.
The India Pavilion showcased the country’s rich kaleidoscope of culture, languages and traditions, its diverse tourism landscape as well as the gamut of niche tourism experiences such as spiritual and wellness, wedding, adventure and ecotourism and gourmet.
The theme of the pavilion revolved around the unique and diverse tourism experiences of India.
Representatives of various destination management companies, hoteliers, State Governments and Union Territories and tour operators from across the country took part in it.
At ITB Berlin, the Union tourism minister also launched two short films curated by OTT platform Netflix for the ministry, one celebrating India’s vibrant culture, living traditions, festivals and timeless heritage, while the other celebrates the rich flavours and diversity of the Indian cuisine.
The ministry has partnered with Netflix to showcase Indian destinations to global audiences.
Under this partnership, the ministry, through its ‘Incredible India’ platform and Netflix, will curate ten short promotional videos over the year. Inspired by Netflix-hosted films and series, each video highlights a unique facet of India from its flavours and festivals to adventure, wildlife, and natural beauty, reflecting the country’s depth and diversity, as seen on screen, it said.
Representatives of State Governments of Rajasthan, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Union Territories of Ladakh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, along with the IRCTC, participated in the event to promote their latest destinations and offerings to the international market, the ministry said.
