.
PACKAGE TO PROJECT INDIA AS PREMIER
CONVENTION VENUE
The Government will
soon work out a package to market India as premier conference
venue which will be launched in overseas markets through tourism
offices and diplomatic missions. It will be done in collaboration
with tourism and travel industry. Inaugurating 2-days’ conference
‘Conventions India’ here today, Minister for Tourism and Culture,
Shri Jagmohan said that Government had taken number of projects
to create excellent infrastructure development, which would show
results in the near future. Along with these projects cultural
hubs are being developed to provide glimpses of rich heritage,
spiritual teachings, yoga and other unique aspects of India’s
civilization so that visitors coming for such conferences can
have unique feeling. The Government in the current budget has
already provided incentives for setting up convention centres
and has planed two mega world class convention centres in the
country, he added.
Assuring all Government
support, Secretary, Tourism, Mrs. Rathi Vinay Jha urged the tourism
and travel industry to upgrade hospitality services to make them
best in the world to attract more conference and conventions in
India. She regretted that India has very negligible share in 10
thousand conferences being held everywhere over the world generating
business over 280 billion US dollars every year in spite of successful
posting may prestigious international conference in recent past.
She called for aggressive marketing by tourism industry to showcase
India as unique conference destination.
Briefing about the
agenda of the conference, Additional Director General of the Ministry
of tourism, Smt. Rashmi Varma said that the conference would showcase
India’s facilities to hold big conventions and simultaneously
create awareness about economic benefits of such conferences among
representatives of tourism industry. She said participation of
more than 150 buyers in comparison to 50 sellers shows interests
of the international conference organisers in India.
The 2-day conference
is being attended by conference planners from various countries
besides representatives of hotel and tourism industry including
airlines, hotel chains, travel agencies, tour operators and event
organisers. Sessions on conference management sellers’ interaction,
HRD development and other related issues will be held during the
conference. The experts will train participants in preparing bids
for international conferences, site selection, budgeting and contract
negotiations.
The Organisation
of the Conclave would give impetus in the promotion of India as
an International Convention Destination and would be very much
in consonance with the promotion of India as a tourist destination
in general for which the Government has launched several their
initiatives.
