Flight plan to boost Khajuraho tourism
New Delhi, Jan. 22: India wants East
Asian airlines to fly directly to destinations such as Gaya, Khajuraho
and Agra.
According to Ambika Soni, union minister
of tourism and culture, better connectivity to these regions will help
India strengthen its tourism ties with the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean).
“We are developing world class tourism
infrastructure around 15 of our most important heritage sites such as the
Taj Mahal, Hampi, Ajanta and Ellora and Bodh Gaya. These sites are now
connected by air and we (the government) will encourage airlines to directly
operate flights to these areas without having to go via major cities,”
said Soni at the ongoing India-Asean tourism ministerial meeting.
“With the support of the private sector
we should be able to work out attractive tour packages that cater to the
needs of Asean tourists,” she added.
India is participating for the first
time in the ministerial meeting, being held in Bangkok. Outbound tourism
from India crossed 8 million in the last calendar year. The Asean region
is one of the prime beneficiaries of this outbound traffic from India,
said Soni.
At the last India-Asean summit, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh had announced a target of one million tourist arrivals
from Asean by 2010.
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