More international airports, long-term visas boost tourism

Panaji, Mar 10 (UNI) Efforts are underway to open 60 international airports and give long-term visas to attract foreign tourists that will help boost domestic and foreign tourism, Rajiv Talwar, Additional Director General of Tourism Department, Government of India, said today.

''The External Affairs ministry and the Union Home Ministry are seriously examining the proposal to offer 5-10 year visas, besides opening 50 to 60 international airports for domestic and foreign tourists, as part of promoting tourism in a big way,'' Mr Talwar added.

He was addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Tourism Meet-2006, with its theme ''Summertime in Goa'', combined with 'Cashew Mahotsav' under the aegis of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Goa Tourism Department here today.

US and UK have more than 100 international airports opened for tourist traffic, then why should not India, with diversified tourist attractions be content with only 15 international airports, , Mr Talwar said.

Nine out of ten top tourism-centred countries including the USA had been offering visas for five to ten-year period to 30 countries and this could be replicated in India to attract more tourists, he added.

The Government, he said, acts as a ''facilitator and policy maker'' and the private players have to grab the situation to promote tourism which provides at least 87 jobs for Rs one million investment, as against a few in other sectors.

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