Raipur May 28, 2026: Chhattisgarh is steadily emerging as a new destination on India’s tourism map, with the state government pushing tourism-led growth, hospitality investments, and infrastructure expansion to unlock its untapped potential, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Thursday.
Chairing a high-level meeting at his residence office to review tourism promotion, hospitality investments, and expansion of visitor facilities, the Chief Minister said the state was committed to presenting Chhattisgarh’s “real beauty, cultural richness and natural diversity” to national and global audiences.
Representatives of Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), senior government officials, and tourism stakeholders attended the meeting.
Highlighting Chhattisgarh’s diverse tourism potential, Sai said the state’s rivers, waterfalls, forests, hills, tribal traditions, and rich cultural heritage provide it with a unique identity that can position it as an attractive tourism destination.
“Chhattisgarh is a land of immense natural and cultural wealth. Our goal is to bring its true beauty and cultural richness before the world and develop it into an attractive tourism destination,” the Chief Minister said.
CM Shri Sai noted that the state government’s decision to grant industry status to tourism has opened new opportunities for hospitality investments and accelerated the development of quality accommodation, transport connectivity, and modern tourist facilities.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said Chhattisgarh has been receiving a steady flow of investment proposals and that IHCL’s interest in investing in the state marks a significant step for the tourism ecosystem. “Such investments will strengthen tourism infrastructure and generate employment and self-employment opportunities for local youth,” he said.
During the meeting, IHCL representatives shared key aspects of their investment proposal and informed the government that the company is exploring plans to invest over ₹500 crore in Chhattisgarh’s hospitality sector. The proposal, they said, would strengthen tourism infrastructure while opening new avenues of employment in the state.
Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary said the state government has created an investor-friendly environment and streamlined approval mechanisms to make processes simpler, transparent, and time-bound.
Officials informed the meeting that hospitality investments have gained momentum after tourism was accorded industry status, with the government actively promoting modern infrastructure, high-end facilities, and policy incentives to support sectoral growth.
Industry department officials also briefed investors on the state’s incentive framework, noting that projects involving investments exceeding ₹500 crore or generating employment for more than 1,000 people would qualify for additional benefits under the bespoke policy framework.
Senior officials including Chhattisgarh Tourism Board Chairman Neelu Sharma, Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel, Principal Secretary to CM, Subodh Kumar Singh, Finance Secretary Dr Rohit Yadav, Investment Commissioner Ritu Sen, Secretary to CM, Rahul Bhagat, Industry Secretary Rajat Kumar, Tourism Secretary Dr S. Bharathidasan were present at the meeting.
