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Team up and thrive, PM tells tourism agencies

Prime Minister A B Vajpayee today launched the 'Explore India Millennium Year' in New Delhi.

He said the country should resolve to at least double the number of foreign tourists coming to India within two years.

He hoped the tourism industry, in collaboration with the state governments and the Centre, would come up with comprehensive measures to promote tourism.

"Improved infrastructure, better law-and-order situation, effective publicity, affordable facilities and courteous services -- all these need our focused attention," he said.

Ananth Kumar, civil aviation and tourism minister, Omak Apang, minister of state for tourism, Farooq Abdullah and S C Jamir, chief ministers of Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland, respectively, were among those present at the event.

Explore India, which will be on from April 1, 1999, to March 31, 2000, will offer visitors special packages, special events and improved services.

Remarking that safety and security is the first concern of every tourist, Vajpayee said it saddened him to see violence in many potential tourist places.

"Bihar, for instance, has so much to offer to different types of tourists. Similarly, the north-eastern states are so beautiful," Vajpayee said.

India should especially aim at increasing the tourist flow from the SAARC countries. The campaign must also aim at giving a major fillip to domestic tourism by improving facilities for them.

"We must ask ourselves how can we make the visit to Delhi by a farmer and his family from Uttar Pradesh a better one. We must ask ourselves how we can make the pilgrimage to Hardwar and Varanasi by a clerk and his family from Tamil Nadu a more enjoyable one."

He said his government is committed to the promotion of sustainable and healthy tourism. A national tourism advisory council, comprising representatives from both government and industry, will be formed to advise the ministry on various policy issues.

A group of ministers headed by the tourism minister and a standing committee of secretaries under the Cabinet secretary have been constituted to co-ordinate tourism development, he added.

Kumar in his opening address said tourism needs to be put on the national agenda and his ministry is taking steps towards this, the first being the Explore India Programme.

He said an 8 per cent increase in tourist arrivals is the government's aim. At present, some 2.3 million people come to the country every year, he said.

Kumar said that after textiles, tourism is the country's second biggest foreign exchange earner with about Rs115 billion. "I think the prime minister has given me the cue that it should surpass textiles," he remarked.

Many events such as the Khajuraho Millennium and tercentenary of the Khalsa are being highlighted during Explore India. Two states will be focussed on each month, beginning with Assam and Punjab in April.

Heritage hotels will offer tourists a 40 per cent discount from April to October. Cricket, polo and golf tournaments are being planned. Katchal, an island in the Andamans, is being promoted as the region where the first sunrays of the millennium will fall.

UNI

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Explore India from April 1, 1999

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