Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Tourism, Gen Z And Politics: Shekhawat On India’s Challenges
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is India’s Culture and Tourism Minister.
He said young people today can find information very quickly, so politicians must communicate with them differently.
He believes tourism can create many jobs as more Indians travel.
The government wants tourism to grow from about 6% to 10% of the economy.
He said foreign tourism has recovered slowly because of the pandemic, wars and expensive travel in India.
He also said India needs more hotels, better transport and simpler rules.
Large crowds at popular places can damage the environment and make travel difficult.
Shekhawat said the government responded to the student protest after it became larger and more distressing.
He defended the government’s nationalism-focused positions and rejected criticism that they were mainly political.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said political outreach must adapt to an information-rich Gen Z that will soon become a major voting group.
He said tourism contributes about 6% of GDP, with the government targeting a 10% share and greater job creation.
The minister attributed weak foreign-tourism recovery to post-Covid disruption, geopolitical tensions and India’s limited, costly hotel supply.
Shekhawat defended the government’s response to the Jantar Mantar student protest and Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
He linked overcrowding, traveller safety, taxation and infrastructure to the broader challenge of expanding tourism sustainably.
- Who
- Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, speaking with The Indian Express journalists.
- What
- Shekhawat discussed Gen Z outreach, tourism policy, student protests, nationalism and heritage administration.
- When
- During an Idea Exchange interview; the article does not provide a specific interview date.
- Where
- The discussion covered India, including tourism destinations such as Ujjain, Kashmir and Goa, and the Jantar Mantar protest in Delhi.
- Why
- The interview examined how the government and BJP are addressing youth concerns, tourism growth and political criticism.
Critics and Opposition
Shekhawat and Government Position
Response to the Jantar Mantar protest
Critics and Opposition
Critics argued that the government responded too slowly and questioned whether treating the minister’s resignation as a gesture toward protesting youths was patronising.
Shekhawat and Government Position
Shekhawat said the movement initially appeared unsupported by facts, but the government responded when it spread and distressed young people; he defended Dharmendra Pradhan’s voluntary resignation and the welcome he received.
Vande Mataram and nationalism
Critics and Opposition
Opponents described the effort to codify all six stanzas of Vande Mataram as potentially political and presented inclusivity as a justification for earlier changes.
Shekhawat and Government Position
Shekhawat said Vande Mataram is a sacred, unifying national song and argued that its truncation resulted from appeasement rather than inclusivity.
Tourist safety in India
Critics and Opposition
Critics raised concerns about harassment, theft and security incidents affecting foreign visitors and solo women travellers.
Shekhawat and Government Position
Shekhawat acknowledged that every incident damages India’s image but said India is the safest country for solo women travellers and that travel restrictions may be necessary after security threats.
- Speaker
- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism
- Tourism’s current GDP share
- About 6%, according to Shekhawat
- Government target
- Increase tourism’s contribution to 10% of GDP
- Domestic travel
- About 420 crore domestic trips involving at least one overnight stay were recorded last year
- Hotel infrastructure status
- Available for hotels in destinations with populations below 10 lakh and at 50 designated iconic destinations
- Tourism workforce initiative
- The Paryatan Mitra/Paryatan Didi pilot plans to train 10,000 local young people
- Hotel taxation
- Shekhawat said he requested GST reconsideration after comparing India’s rates with competitor destinations