Suman Billa replaces Rakesh Verma as new Additional Secretary at Tourism Ministry, ET TravelWorld

Senior Bureaucrat Suman Billa has returned to the tourism fold with his recent appointment as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. With prior experience of working in the Tourism Ministry, Billa has earlier served in the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India as Joint Secretary between 2014 and 2019.

Rakesh Kumar Verma, who was serving as the Additional Secretary in the Tourism Ministry has now moved to the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation in Jal Shakti Ministry as Additional Secretary.

Both Billa and Verma have been appointed to the post as part of the ongoing restructuring, temporarily filling the upgraded post of Joint Secretary level, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) said.

Making a return to Tourism Ministry after five-years, the 1996-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer also has experience of serving in the Kerala Tourism department in the past.

As Additional Secretary, Bill will look after international cooperation, events, Swadesh Darshan, niche tourism. Information technology, overseas marketing, hotels and restaurants, among others at the Tourism Ministry.

Billa is an alumnus of Madras Christian College and Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He has also served as Secretary – Tourism, Kerala government. Billa has also been a British Chevening Gurukula Scholar at the London School of Economics. Throughout his career Billa has held various positions both at the central level and in Kerala. Amongst the posts held by Billa are Sub Collector, Devikulam, in Idukki District, Director of Civil Supplies, Joint Secretary to the Chief Secretary, Director, Kerala Tourism and District Collector, Palakkad. He has also served in the Government of India as Private Secretary to the Ministers of State for External Affairs and Defence.

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.

Billa’s appointment to the Ministry of Tourism comes at an important time when new government will take power at the Centre in first week of June and tourism industry recoving to pre-pandemic level numbers and business.