Mr. Suman Billa IAS has been appointed as the new Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, succeeding Mr. Rakesh Verma IAS, who now assumes the role of Additional Secretary for the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation. Mr. Suman, a 1996 batch Indian Administrative Service officer in the Kerala cadre, currently serves as the Principal Secretary for Industry and Non-Resident Keralaite Affairs (NORKA) in Thiruvananthapuram.
With a rich background in tourism, Mr Suman Billa brings extensive experience to his new role, having previously served at the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) as Joint Secretary, Director of Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Development at UNWTO, and Director and Secretary of the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. His tenure at the Ministry of Tourism began in 2014 and concluded in 2019, following which he joined UNWTO at its headquarters in Madrid, Spain.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Mr. Suman Billa IAS to assume the position of Additional Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism immediately. Throughout his career, Mr. Suman has held various positions both at the central level and in Kerala, including Sub-Collector, Devikulam; Director, Civil Supplies; Director, Kerala Tourism; District Collector, Palakkad; Commissioner, Commercial Taxes; and Secretary, Tourism and Civil Supplies. Mr. Suman is currently also on the board of directors at Bharat Petroleum Company Limited.
An alumnus of Madras Christian College and Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, Mr. Suman Billa is also a British Chevening Gurukula Scholar at the esteemed London School of Economics. Notably, during his tenure at Kerala Tourism, he spearheaded initiatives such as monsoon tourism, the Spice Route project, and the Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative, which garnered global recognition with the UNWTO’s Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance.
As Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Mr Suman played a pivotal role in launching campaigns like Incredible India version 2, the Swadesh Darshan scheme for thematic circuit development, and the India Tourism Mart. He has been an advocate for e-visa implementation and the reduction of GST on hotels.
Mr. Suman’s return to the Ministry of Tourism comes at a crucial juncture, just before the new government assumes power in the first week of June and with the tourism sector gradually recovering to pre-pandemic levels. Industry associations and leaders have welcomed this decision, recognizing the significance of having an experienced tourism professional lead the global marketing efforts of Incredible India and address the challenges and decisions crucial for the betterment of the tourism sector and industry stakeholders in the country.
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