Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday, 3 May 2025, laid out her vision to transform New Delhi from a transit point into a world-class tourism destination, addressing a stakeholder conference that brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and domain experts across hospitality, heritage, and wellness sectors.

"It is time we position Delhi not just as a stopover, but as a destination city where tourists stay longer, immerse themselves in experiences, and keep coming back," Gupta said at the event.

Key Developments at the Conference

The conference was attended by Kapil Mishra, Delhi's Minister for Art, Culture, and Tourism, and Suneel Anchipaka, Managing Director of the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC). On the sidelines, DTTDC signed several key agreements aimed at boosting collaboration and innovation in the tourism sector, though the specific partners were not immediately disclosed.

Chief Minister Gupta said the active participation of industry stakeholders, policymakers, and domain experts had produced several concrete and actionable suggestions. "These inputs and feedback will be incorporated into upcoming policies and plans to give a new direction to Delhi's tourism sector and make it more effective," she added.

Delhi's Tourism Strengths

Highlighting the city's existing assets, Gupta pointed to iconic landmarks including Parliament, Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate, the Prime Minister's Museum, the Red Fort, and Qutub Minar. She also underscored Delhi's diverse culture and cuisine as offering a complete and unique tourism experience that few Indian cities can match.

This comes amid a broader national push to grow India's share of global tourist arrivals, with the Centre targeting a significant expansion in inbound tourism over the next decade. Delhi, as the national capital and a primary international gateway, is seen as central to that ambition.

Expanding the Tourism Scope

The conference covered a wide range of tourism verticals — from heritage and spiritual tourism to digital, medical, wellness, and night tourism. The Chief Minister said the government is placing strong emphasis on positive brand positioning for Delhi, aiming to develop it not only as a tourism hub but also as a centre of medical and educational excellence.

"Our goal is to attract more visitors from across India and the world, encourage them to stay, and take back meaningful experiences," Gupta said.

Policy Push: Film, Events, and Single Window

The Chief Minister said the government is actively promoting large-scale concerts, film festivals, and cultural events to strengthen Delhi's global identity. She also highlighted that a film policy and a single-window system are being used to provide seamless, transparent, and time-bound services to the industry — a move aimed at reducing bureaucratic friction for event organisers and filmmakers choosing Delhi as a location.

Notably, the push into night tourism signals an intent to extend the city's economic activity beyond daylight hours, a model that has worked in cities like Singapore and Dubai. With concrete policy inputs now in hand, the government's next step will be translating stakeholder feedback into formal tourism policy documents in the weeks ahead.