The Hindu : Tourism meet from tomorrow

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 13, 2002

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Tourism meet from tomorrow

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL12. Nearly 1000 delegates from 40 countries will attend the 51st annual conference of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) here from April 14 to 18 under tight security arrangements. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, will inaugurate the conference on April 15. India is hosting the prestigious tourism conference after 24 years and the Department of Tourism has earmarked Rs 4.5 crore on the event. The rest is coming from the industry, aviation sector and hordes of sponsors.

"The conference is being held during difficult times when there is a setback to the sector and the security scenario the world over,'' the Tourism Secretary, Rathi Vinay Jha, said here today.

The Director-General of Tourism, V.K. Duggal, said the country tried to host PATA two years back when tourism seemed to be picking up. However, in the interim September 11 events in the U.S. December 13 attack on Indian Parliament and the Gujarat violence happened with some impact on the attendance. Even though several big names from the tourism industry are participating, India has registered 973 delegates as against 1300 who attended the conference in Kuala Lumpur last year.

India hopes to gain from the conference as it gives an opportunity to the host country to show-case itself to the industry from the world over. "The event itself is a promotion," Jha said adding that Delhi will be spruced up to put the best foot forward.

The Ministry has made special efforts to sell India as a tourist destination through direct joint ventures and marketing cooperation with airlines, direct participation with tour operators, offer of free passages to foreign media, support to the country's tour operators to market their sale material, internet advertising and through direct reaching out to consumers on electronic media.

There will be performances by regional cultural centres during the inaugural function. The main hospitality venues will be Nehru Park and Pragati Maidan. Shopping areas in Delhi will be decorated. Ten shopping centres will offer 20 per cent discount to registered delegates. The Connaught Place Traders Association will do up their shops and light the area by the night.

The delegates will be taken on a special tour of Red Fort, Rajghat, Jantar Mantar, Qutab Minar and Humayun's Tomb in Delhi.

They will get top experience in herbal care, yoga, Indian cookery and fashion show in Delhi. Special subsidised packages have been worked out for them to Rajasthan, Agra, Bhuj, Puri and Kerala.

The delegates will be hosted at 10 best hotels in Delhi.

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