Madhya Pradesh Tourism Scales New Heights through Investment, PM SHRI Tourism and Helicopter Services

In alignment with the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi towards cultural resurgence across the country, and under the guidance of Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, Madhya Pradesh has achieved significant milestones in tourism, culture and investment during the year 2025

Under the able leadership of Minister of State (Independent Charge), Tourism, Culture, Religious Trusts & Endowments Shri Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi, and Shri Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture, Home, and Religious Trusts & Endowments, and Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, the year 2025 proved to be a defining phase of innovation, expansion and investment-led growth for Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board.

With the objective of positioning Madhya Pradesh prominently on the national and global tourism map, innovative initiatives such as PM SHRI Tourism Air Service and PM SHRI Tourism Helicopter Service were launched in 2025, significantly strengthening connectivity to major tourist destinations across the state. These initiatives not only enhanced ease of travel for tourists but also generated new avenues for investment and employment.

Strengthening rural tourism, more than 400 homestays have been operationalised over the last two years, playing a vital role in empowering rural livelihoods. The state aims to develop 1,000 homestays in the coming period. Through platforms such as Regional Tourism Conclaves and the Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart, investment proposals worth nearly ₹10,000 crore were received, giving fresh momentum to private sector participation in tourism.

In the domain of religious and cultural tourism, substantial progress has been made towards developing Omkareshwar as ‘Advait Lok’. Following the installation of the 108-feet statue of Adi Shankaracharya, approval exceeding ₹2,424 crore has been granted for Phase-II of Advait Lok. As a result of these sustained efforts, Madhya Pradesh recorded the arrival of over 14 crore tourists in 2024, marking an approximate 25 percent growth in tourist footfall.

In the direction of conservation and promotion of culture, a new chain of museums is being developed across the state. Construction of specialised museums is underway in cities including Ujjain, Bhopal, Gwalior, Sagar, Panna, Jabalpur and Maheshwar. Initiatives such as Shri Ramchandra Van Gaman Path and Shri Krishna Pathey have further provided a new direction to religious tourism.

In 2025, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department received several prestigious national and international awards. Concrete steps have also been taken to promote inclusive and safe tourism by training 50,000 women and girls. With the objective of increasing tourism’s contribution to the state GDP to 10 percent in the coming years, plans have been laid to develop 500 new hotels, 20,000 rooms and 500 wayside amenity centres. For Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, the year 2025 stood out as a landmark year of achievements, investments and innovations, further strengthening the state’s position among India’s leading tourism destinations.