New Delhi: The Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), a not-for-profit organization under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed an agreement with the American digital payments company, Visa to upskill about 20,000 youth in tourism-related skills. The partnership aims to train youth across 10 Indian states including Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and West Bengal to enhance the tourism service experience of tourists. According to an official statement, the current valuation of the partnership stands at USD 1 million for a duration of 3 years.
The training program will mainly focus on essential roles in the tourism industry such as tour guides, customer service executives, naturalists, and paragliding tandem pilots. Speaking at the occasion, Minister of Skill Development, Jayant Chaudhary said that the partnership will help in realizing the immense potential of the tourism industry in driving economic growth and generating millions of jobs across the country. In the past, Visa has contributed to increasing inbound tourism in the country by providing valuable data and insights to the Ministry of Tourism. The goal of the current collaboration is to build a skilled workforce in the industry that can help transform India into a global tourism destination.
According to the Ministry, the tourism sector contributes significantly to India’s economy, accounting for around USD 231 billion in GDP. In 2023, the sector provided jobs to more than 42 million people.
