Let us not just build a developed India, but a welcoming India: Shashi Tharoor

Mumbai: "Let us not just build a developed India, but a welcoming India," said former United Nations diplomat-turned-politician and author Dr Shashi Tharoor.

The orator-par-excellence positioned tourism and hospitality as “mirrors of a nation’s soul” and called for decisive movement on three foundational pillars: Image, Infrastructure, and Immigration.

“We must move from promoting one 'Incredible India' to celebrating many 'Incredible Indias', each offering a unique story. By doing so, we will not just build a developed nation, but a hospitable one, remembered for how it made the world feel. Let us not just build a developed India, but a welcoming India,” said Dr Tharoor, a Congress MP, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.

“Tourism and hospitality are not just economic drivers; they are mirrors of a nation’s soul. Every traveller who steps on Indian soil carries home an impression shaped by your work. By strengthening our image, infrastructure and immigration systems, India can truly match its unmatched cultural wealth with a world-class visitor experience,” Tharoor said addressing the 75 years commemoration of the Hotel And Restaurant Association (Western India), popularly known as HRAWI, coinciding with the 20th Regional Convention.

Dr Tharoor, a former Minister of State for External Affairs, added: "For India to achieve its Viksit Bharat 2047 ambitions, we must urgently address three critical 'I's which include our Image, by ensuring safety and dispelling outdated perceptions; our Infrastructure, by building not just more hotels but more kinds of hotels to meet a massive room shortfall; and our Immigration, by ensuring our borders are as welcoming as our hotel lobbies.”

HRAWI President Jimmy Shaw, President of HRAWI, underscored the convention's significance for the hospitality sector.

“With world-class infrastructure, technology adoption, especially AI and our commitment to Atithi Devo Bhava, the hospitality sector will continue to drive economic growth, employment and India’s global tourism ambitions,” said Shaw.