Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003 |
| Southern States | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Southern States
-
Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad
By Our Staff Reporter
Delivering the valedictory address at the 19th annual convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) at the Ramoji Film City, he cited the experience of New York after the September 11 incident, which adversely affected tourism. Similar was the case in Iraq. The SARS scare created problems for the affected countries, badly hitting tourism, he said. The Governor noted that Punjab had serious problems when militancy was active. The tourism industry was hit badly and there was tenfold drop in the number of people visiting the Golden Temple during those days. He pointed out that the trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir had also been victim of militancy, with people dreading to visit the State. "I visited J & K 12 times," Mr. Barnala said, adding that he was happy that the tour operators today took a pledge to promote tourism in J&K. "There is no place like Kashmir'', he stated recalling his trip to Switzerland. The Governor called for promotion of internal and pilgrim tourism and hoped that the IATO would function as "ambassador of goodwill'' to give a boost to tourism, and particularly keep tourism in AP as priority as the State occupied a unique position on the tourism map. Later, he released a book -- Best of Hyderabad -- brought out by the Indian Express. The Tourism Minister, T. Srinivas Yadav, observed that the outcome of the deliberations during the last three days would be useful to promote the country as a "safe, secure and peaceful tourist destination." The Tourism Secretary, Chandana Khan, felt that the convention was a "stronger beginning for the cause of tourism. This is the right forum for further resolution to take India forward on the tourism front.'' Earlier, Maharaj I.S. Wahi, president of the IATO, welcomed the gathering. Vijay Thakur, chairman of the convention, proposed a vote of thanks.
Awards presented
Mr. Barnala later presented tourism awards. The `Best Travel Route' award was bagged by G.S. Varma of the Government of India Tourism Department. The L.K. Bakshi award was given to Jyoti Kaul of the Indian Express. The `Best Poster' award went to Karan Singh for his "best marketing innovation'' of the poster - `Incredible India' -- brought out by the Government of India. He also bagged an award for the best CD - `Incredible India' -- made by the Government of India, while the Kerala Tourism got award for the `Best booth and best VCD'. The AP Tourism's `Best of Hyderabad' won the best brochure award, which was received by the Tourism Minister, T. Srinivas Yadav, and the Tourism Secretary, Chandana Khan. The Governor presented mementos to officials of the Tourism Department from AP, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar, Chattisgarh, J&K, Rajasthan, Delhi, MP, Uttaranchal and Orissa.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2003, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
