JOIN USCentre plans border tourism, South Asia circuit
Even as India is unlocking its borders for foreign tourists after a prolonged ban due to Covid, the Centre wants to develop border tourism, Union Minister of State for Tourism Ajay Bhatt said Thursday.
Giving the examples of Wagah border in the India-Pakistan border and Rock of Peace in the India-China border, the minister said the government will identify tourist destinations in border areas and promote them. A proposal in this regard is under consideration with the Union government.
Speaking to reporters in the sidelines of a Tourism and Culture Ministers' Conference of Southern Region here, Bhatt hoped that these tourist destinations would bring employment to people living in the border areas.
"The idea is that the border villages should not be empty. Once tourists come here, commercial opportunities will open up for villages here and people will want to stay in these regions," he explained. The proposal will be taken forward after discussions with the Indian Army, he added.
Speaking to DH, Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, added that the government is also in the process of working on a South Asia tourism circuit. Several virtual meetings have taken place in this regard with the countries concerned. The government wants to ensure that any foreign tourist visiting a South Asian country also considers India as one of their destinations. For this, the government will have to coordinate with the countries involved, apart from working with tour operators to create such a circuit, she added.
Meanwhile, Union Tourism minister G Kishan Reddy hoped that the two-day conclave would enable a healthy competition between states. "Best practises must be exchanged among states," he said. Ministers and officials from all south Indian states took part in the conclave.
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