Rajasthan is making a major push to boost its travel industry, unveiling an ambitious new tourism policy at the ongoing Mumbai Fair. This bold plan, presented this week, aims to draw more visitors to the state’s iconic forts, palaces. deserts. It signals a strong commitment from Rajasthan to refresh its appeal and significantly grow its share of the tourism market. The policy introduces new rules and help for businesses, hoping to make Rajasthan a prime spot for both local and world travelers, marking a fresh chapter for the state’s cultural landscape.
State Presents New Plans at Key Tourism Event
Rajasthan recently showcased its new tourism plans at a large travel fair in Mumbai. The Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) Mumbai 2025, held from August 11 to August 13 at the Jio World Convention Centre, saw a strong presence from Rajasthan. Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari officially opened the event on August 11, 2025. This fair is an essential meeting place for tourism groups and people in the travel business. It helps states and private companies show what they offer before the busy travel season begins. Rajasthan has been a regular participant at these vital events for many years.
New Rules for Visiting Old Places
The state has brought in new rules for tourism in 2025. These rules aim to make tourism last a long time, include everyone. be fair. A main part of these new rules is putting a limit on how many people can visit famous old places each day. For example, Amer Fort will now allow only 5,000 visitors daily. This step is to help protect these vital historical sites from too many people, which has been a problem for a long time. Visitors must now book their tickets online before they go. There will also be different entry times to stop too many people from being in one place at the same time. These new rules also give some priority to local Indian visitors and students. The new rules also change how local tourist guides work. They now need to get official licenses and go through special training. This training will cover history, how to talk to people, basic medical help. ways to make tourism better for the future. The new rules also say that only people who live in the local areas of Rajasthan can get guide licenses for their heritage sites. This helps local people get jobs while also making the visitor experience better. These steps are part of a bigger plan to make sure Rajasthan’s rich history can be enjoyed by people now and in the future without getting damaged. The plan also wants to help local artists, performers. cultural groups by giving them places at heritage sites to meet visitors. This helps share culture and supports people in villages.
More Money for Tourism Business
Rajasthan is working hard to bring in more money for its tourism sector. The state has already signed over 1,600 agreements, called Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), for tourism projects. These agreements are worth a large sum of about ₹1. 37 lakh crore. This shows a clear aim to turn plans into real projects with strong government help. The “Tourism Unit Policy 2024” is a main part of this plan. It gives good benefits and simpler steps for new tourism businesses to start in Rajasthan. This policy aims to make things easier for people who want to invest and help new projects begin faster. The policy offers many money-related and other benefits, such as:
- Help with interest payments for loans to approved tourism businesses.
- No charges for stamp duty and changing land use.
- No electricity charges for up to 10 years.
- Money back on state sales tax for new tourism units for a set time.
- Money help for small and medium-sized tourism businesses to grow and create jobs.
The government has also set aside a special fund of ₹5,000 crore for tourism buildings and training over the next five years. This fund will help build new things and improve what is already there. A table showing investment figures:
| Type of Investment | Amount (in Rupees) | Number of Projects/MoUs |
|---|---|---|
| Signed MoUs for tourism projects | ₹1. 37 lakh crore | Over 1,600 |
| Fund for tourism infrastructure and capacity building | ₹5,000 crore | Planned over five years |
The state held a special meeting in Jaipur called “Rising Rajasthan Tourism Sector MoUs – Accelerating Ground-Breaking Investors’ Dialogue.” This meeting brought together 79 groups that had signed MoUs and essential government workers. The goal was to talk about and fix problems that were stopping projects from starting.
More Types of Travel to Offer
Rajasthan is working to offer more kinds of travel experiences. Beyond its famous forts and palaces, the state is pushing:
- Eco-tourism: This focuses on visiting natural areas responsibly.
- Agri-tourism: This involves visitors staying on farms and experiencing rural life.
- Adventure tourism: This includes activities like safaris and trekking in different landscapes.
- Religious tourism: This focuses on visits to crucial holy sites.
- MICE tourism: This means attracting meetings, events. big gatherings.
- Film tourism: The state is working to bring more film shoots to Rajasthan by making its film policy simpler. This helps show the state’s beauty to a wider audience and creates more jobs.
The Deputy Chief Minister, Diya Kumari, has said that the policies for tourism and film in Rajasthan are being made easier to grasp and use. This is to help bring in more tourism and film making. She believes these changes will create many new jobs and make the state’s economy stronger.
Boost for Jobs and Local Money
Tourism is a very essential part of Rajasthan’s economy. It adds about 12 percent to the state’s total economic output. The government wants to increase this to 25 percent. The new policies and money put into tourism are expected to create thousands of jobs across many areas, like hotels, resorts. local handicraft businesses. Officials believe that attracting more private money and making it easier to start tourism businesses will help many people find work. The focus on different types of tourism, like eco-tourism and village stays, is also meant to spread the money benefits to more parts of the state, not just the popular places.
“The revised policies will not only boost tourism but also create new employment opportunities and strengthen Rajasthan’s economy,” said Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari.
The state’s efforts also include training young people and artists in traditional skills, guiding. hotel work. Over 470 people have already gained from these training programs, making the tourism sector more skilled.
A Look at Rajasthan’s Tourism Past
Rajasthan has always been a key place for visitors in India. Its old buildings, rich culture. diverse natural areas make it a popular choice. In December 2024, Rajasthan saw more than 200 million visitors, with 1. 9 million coming from other countries. The state has many essential places, including nine sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The government has been working on tourism for a long time. In 2015, the state updated its tourism unit policy to make it easier to set up tourism projects. Then, in 2020, the Rajasthan Tourism Policy was approved to make the state a top choice for both local and foreign visitors. These past efforts have laid the groundwork for the current ambitious plans. The state continues to improve roads and air travel, showing its ongoing dedication to growing tourism in a lasting way. Rajasthan is aiming to become a world leader in tourism by keeping its history safe and also trying new and green ways to attract visitors. 
