Lekha Shankar | Grand Asean-India Tourism Festival in Bangkok

The pavilion was inaugurated by the Indian Ambassador to Thailand, Nagesh Singh, accentuating the combined efforts of the ministry of external affairs and IRCTC in strengthening Indo-Asean tourism and cultural ties. It showcased India’s rich tourism offerings — heritage and cultural tours, spiritual and wellness packages, nature and adventure experiences, and premium products such as IRCTC’s world-class luxury trains.

The initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declaration of 2025 as the Asean-India Tourism Year at the Asean-India Summit in Laos last October. Marking the 10th anniversary of India’s Act East policy, the Prime Minister stressed Asean’s importance as one of India’s largest tourism and investment partners. Since then, India has stepped up efforts to deepen cultural, economic, and tourism linkages with the region.

At PTM, IRCTC also held a roadshow that highlighted its luxury trains. The renovated Buddhist Circuit train particularly interested the Thai and Asian tour operators. According to Rahul Himalian, IRCTC’s director (tourism and marketing), the Asean-India focus allowed India and Asean to visit each other’s major travel fairs, and strengthen their presence.

Soon after Bangkok, IRCTC showcased its offerings at the International Tourism Expo in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, conducting another well-received roadshow. Himalian noted that over four million Indians visited the Asean countries, including two million to Thailand alone. Promila Gupta, IRCTC’s group general manager, added that India had direct air connectivity with eight Asean nations.

At the Bangkok roadshow, Paulomi Tripathi, deputy head of the Indian Embassy, announced that India had allocated $5 million to an Asean-India Tourism Fund. The fund would support projects under the Asean-India Tourism Work Plan (2023–2027), including promotional campaigns, capacity building, and sustainable tourism initiatives. She also drew parallels between Asean’s ‘Action Roadmap’ for sustainable tourism and India’s ‘Goa Roadmap’, both promoting responsible, eco-friendly practices. Plans were underway for tailored programmes for Asean tour operators and also for expanding cruise tourism. In fact, an Asean-India Cruise Dialogue was held at Chennai, in June. Student exchanges were also in the pipeline, and tourist visas had been extended to all Asean countries.

India’s PTM delegation included state tourism leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh, all eager to attract Asean visitors.

Telangana Tourism’s managing director Valluri Kranthi informed how the recent Miss World contest, with 108 contestants and 37 events, gave tourism in the state a major boost. She was sure that the new Buddhavanam site in Telengana, would attract Buddhist tourists from the Asean countries. Assistant director D.S. Om Prakash credited Miss World winner, Thai beauty queen Opal Suchata, for drawing global attention to Telangana. In fact, Opal Suchata’s image dominated the screens at the state’s pavilion.

Chhattisgarh Tourism’s managing director Vivek Acharya spoke about his state’s pristine but lesser-known national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and tribal villages. Uttar Pradesh’s regional tourist officer Aprajita Singh presented UP’s six Buddhist heritage sites and 15 major tourism attractions. Kerala tourism minister Mohammed Riyas accepted yet another PATA award for the state’s acclaimed digital campaigns.

After the PTM, Indian ambassador Nagesh Singh delivered a lecture on India-Asean partnership at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University, organised by the Institute of Asian Studies, highlighting the shared history, heritage, religion, culture and language binding India and Asean.

Summing up, PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid remarked: “The 2025 Asean-India Tourism Year is more than a celebration — it is a testament to the power of connection, transforming shared histories into a vibrant future of mutual growth and understanding.”