NE should identify areas of focus to promote tourism: Ambika Soni

Gangtok, Apr 27 (UNI) Union Tourism Minister Ambika Soni today asked the Northeastern states to identify their areas of focus for promoting tourism in the region.

''The states should develop special products which could be promoted both at national and international levels,'' she said, while addressing the two-day fourth Sectoral Tourism Summit at the inauguration this morning.

Ms Soni said violence in the region was a thing of the past.

However, she regretted that despite a good amount of fund being provided by the North East Council for development of tourism in the region, the desired target had not been achieved.

''The NE states are culturally rich and its richness can be promoted internationally to woo tourists,'' she said, and advised the states to participate in national and international programmes to enlighten tourists about their cultural richness.

In this connection, she said that Octave, a cultural extravaganza was organised in Delhi last year with artists participating from all the northeastern states. It was such a success that the union government decided to make it an annual affair by organising the event in different parts of the country.

It was, then, held in Hyderabad. It would be held in Maharashtra next year, she said.

Ms Soni also said, ''Tourism, not IT is the largest employment generating sector in the country.'' While IT could provide jobs to people mostly in the urban areas, tourism could generate employment for millions in the rural areas.

She called upon all the NE states to make collective efforts to promote tourism and assured at all help from the Centre.

The Minister said in the coming days, India and China were going to be the biggest tourism destinations of the world.

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