Visa Partners With Skill India To Up Skill 20,000 Youth For India’s Booming Tourism Industry [Current Affairs]

The Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, for a three-year partnership valued at up to $1 million USD.

Visa’s ongoing collaboration

The partnership, which builds upon Visa’s ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, aims to train youth across 10 States, including Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and West Bengal to elevate the tourism service experience for tourists. The program will focus on essential roles within the domestic tourism industry, such as tour guides, customer service executives, naturalists, and paragliding tandem pilots.

India’s tourism industry

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Minister Shri Jayant Chaudhary, said, “India’s tourism industry has immense potential to drive economic growth and generate millions of jobs across the country. This partnership with Visa is a pivotal step towards realizing and unlocking that potential, equipping our youth with skills needed to thrive in the tourism sector and make India a premier global tourism destination.

Partnership with Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council

The partnership with Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) and the support of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship underscores Visa’s unwavering commitment to India by nurturing talent and supporting the Government’s vision of making India a top destination for global tourists.”

Leading payments network

As a leading payments network in the country, Visa has taken strategic steps to strengthen India’s tourism landscape over the last few years.  Visa through its deep data and analytics expertise has actively contributed to increasing inbound tourism by providing valuable data and insights to the Ministry of Tourism, facilitating the promotion of India’s diverse destinations on the global stage.

Tourism sector

The tourism sector is a significant contributor to India’s economy, accounting for over $231 billion in GDP and employing more than 42 million people in 2023. As the post-pandemic travel landscape continues to grow, the NSDC-Visa initiative will ensure a skilled workforce to support India’s ambitions of becoming a global tourism hub.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories.

Mission

Mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement.