Hyd to host 3-day world tourism meet on April 12

Leaders from South Asia, East Asia and Pacific nations will converge in Hyderabad for a three-day conference of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation from April 12 to debate policy measures for tourism promotion in the region.

Hyderabad will play host to the UNWTO conference on sustainable tourism development and the joint meeting of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the Commission for South Asia, of which India is currently the chair.

Giving details of the event, Union Minister of State for Tourism K Chiranjeevi today said the best practices and policies adopted the world over would be shared during the deliberations at the conference. Delegates from 29 countries and from various states of India, including tourism ministers, would attend the conference, he told reporters here.

India and UNWTO realise the importance of sustainability and deriving benefits of tourism for national development over a longer period of time. Both of us are working hand-in-hand for the cause of developing nations at the global level. 

In fact, India played a critical role in making the G-20 nations adopt a resolution at their summit in Mexico on recognising tourism as a pro-poor activity that can be a major instrument for economic development and employment generation, Chiranjeevi said.

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai would hand over an 'open letter' to Vice President of India Hamid Ansari on April 11 seeking India's support for making tourism an important political and economic agenda of the world, he said.

The delegates attending the conference would be taken on a technical tour to Nagarjuna Sagar on April 14 to showcase the Buddhist heritage in the region. The conference will go a long way in boosting tourism in India in general and Andhra Pradesh in particular, Chiranjeevi said.

State Tourism Minister Vatti Vasanth Kumar, Union Tourism Secretary Parvez Dewan, additional secretary Girish Shankar, state Special Chief Secretary (Tourism) Chandana Khan and other senior officials were present. 

-PTI