N'Tour conclave for development of tourism in North

Chandigarh, Oct 6 (UNI) People have to think beyond boundaries and consider the region as a whole for the development of tourism in North India, Advisor to the UT Administrator Lalit Sharma said here today.

He was speaking at a Conference-cum Exposition on Tourism, N'Tour -- The North India Tourism Conclave -- being organised by Chandigarh Administration and Tourism Departments of the Northern States in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

He has focused on seamless experience and has added that it is becoming increasingly important that the states in the northern region evolve a common strategy to give thrust to the industry.

Deliberating on the vital issue of human resource crunch, Mr Sharma has further highlighted the need for capacity building and skill development to have sustainable growth and urged the industry to work in close consultation with the government to realize this vision.

Punjab Tourism Minister Jagmohan Singh Kang said, ''Tourism is an upcoming industry and has got vast innate potential, but out of total world trade of travel and tourism the contribution of India is only 0.7 per cent which is too meagre. So, there is a dire need to plan short term and long term strategy in different states and at the national level, to promote tourism industry in a big way.'' Discussing UT's initiatives towards projecting Chandigarh as an ideal destination for Tourism, Chandigarh Secretary Home and Tourism Krishna Mohan said that the Chandigarh is an ideal tourist destination especially after the phenomenal growth in IT and the excellent climatic conditions and best of education and health infrastructure available.

He has emphasised that these advantages need to be harnessed to develop Chandigarh as tourism hub, a leading centre in Northern India.

Mr Mohan has highlighted the need for common strategy and an integrated approach, crucial for the development of the industry.

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