India's travel and tourism sector will outpace the Indian economy's growth this year to grow at 8.5% and is expected to contribute $ 286 billion in total contribution to the GDP, as per forecasts from Word Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), said WTTC CEO Gloria Guevara. Guevara said India is also likely to become the world's fourth largest travel and tourism economy by 2036 (worth $ 527 billion), from 10th (worth $ 264 billion) in 2025 as per WTTC forecasts. She was speaking at the annual conclave of apex industry body Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism &Hospitality (FAITH). WTTC forecasts international visitor spends in India at $ 38 billion for 2026 and domestic spends at $ 218 billion. WTTC estimates business spends at $ 14 billion in India for 2026 and leisure spends at $ 242 billion. At the conclave, FAITH advocated for a ' Tourism Growth Charter' calling for a 'time-bound' action agenda to unlock India’s travel and tourism opportunity. The industry body said the charter lays out 'immediate', 'measurable' key priorities including granting tourism an infrastructure status by the centre and an industry status across all states; fast-tracking the development of 50 tourism destinations on 'Mission Mode'; a dedicated global tourism promotion campaign under a strong ‘Brand Bharat’ initiative; and a liberal visa regime, including expanded e-visa access and simplified entry procedures. FAITH chairman Puneet Chhatwal said the challenge is no longer proving tourism’s potential, it is harnessing it at scale. "Tourism is a growth engine that has a multiplier effect on both economic and social development," he said. "By acting now on the industry status, building 50 new destinations, and the Brand Bharat and promoting ease of travel, we can position India as a global tourism powerhouse in this decade," he added. In an exclusive interview with ET last month, Chhatwal had said that FAITH foresees 100 million direct jobs being created in the tourism and hospitality industry in India by 2047, up from 45 million currently.He said the tourism sector will grow further as India sees a rise in per capita incomes, and its economic growth and positioning improve further among global economies. "More than the GDP and the jobs, we should not underestimate the soft power of brand India," he added.In his keynote address at the conclave, tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat framed tourism as central to India's identity and its development goals, not merely an economic sector."Tourism is not merely a supporting sector. Tourism is a nation-building sector," Shekhawat said, noting that it creates jobs, empowers women, turns young people into entrepreneurs, and connects villages and remote regions to markets. He linked the sector directly to prime minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed India by 2047, describing India's culture and diversity as "a kind of capital that no factory can manufacture, no artificial production house can create, and no technology can generate."