The Union Ministry of Tourism is creating awareness on lesser known tourist attractions in the country by holding special festivals and conventions at these places every three-four months. Sources in the Ministry said that the events would be held in collaboration with State governments at places that aren’t so popular with tourists as yet but have the potential to emerge as major centres of tourism. They include wetlands such as Sultanpur in Haryana, places of mythological significance such as Kurukshetra in Haryana, and cultural heritage sites such as Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
On January 9 and 10, a conference in Kurukshetra hosted tour operators, opinion makers and social media influencers across India, along with officials of the Tourism Ministry, the Haryana Tourism Department, and the local administration.
“The endeavour was to create awareness about the tourism potential and religious significance of the area. The stakeholders discussed various aspects, including infrastructure, accommodation, tourist amenities, inflow of tourists to this area, travel and tourism sustainability, responsible tourism, the involvement of the local community, sensitisation, and training of the service providers for promotion and marketing of the region,” R. K. Suman, Regional Director-North, Ministry of Tourism, told The Hindu.
