Siliguri: India's tourism minister, G. Kishan Reddy, stated that the second G20 Tourism Working Group meeting will concentrate on domestic tourism projections and help India realise its full potential in the industry.
More than 130 people are attending the meeting, which is taking place in Darjeeling and Siliguri in West Bengal from April 1 to 3, including representatives of G20 members, invitee nations and international organizations, industry partners, state tourism officials, and local tour operators.
Speaking on the second day of the meeting, Reddy said the vision of the conference is to project domestic tourism in mission mode.
“It will also make India maximise its potential in the tourism sector,” he said.
“The Union Ministry of Tourism has also formulated a comprehensive tourism policy with holistic flavour for a sustainable and responsible growth of the tourism sector in the country,” he stated.
Welcoming the delegates to Siliguri, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla said West Bengal is the land from where India got its national anthem.
“West Bengal is a favourite destination for tourists from not only India but across the world as well and hence infrastructure development and promotion of tourism are going on in tandem to draw more globetrotters to this part of the country,” he said.
The day started with a yoga session organised by the Ministry of AYUSH for the delegates from G20 member countries.
Later, a Himalayan Car Rally was flagged off by the Union tourism minister, accompanied by Minister Barla, MP Raju Bista, the tourism secretary and the foreign delegates.
With PTI inputs