Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Northern Region would organise a Mega Event ‘CII Tourism Fest’ to boost tourism and hospitality industry and showcase tourism potential in the eight Northern states and UT of Chandigarh.
Mr Jayant Davar, Chairman, CII Northern Region and Co Chairman & Managing Director, Sandhar Technologies Ltd revealed that “The first ever ‘CII Tourism Fest’ would be organised with the partnership of all northern state governments in Chandigarh on 5-7 December 2013 on a very big scale with a lot of domestic as well international participation. Punjab and Chandigarh would be the host states and the discussions are on with other states to partner in this unique initiative. The aim is to boost tourism industry and in turn the economy as a whole”.
“States like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha have also shown interest to participate”, said Mr Davar.
“It would have an international flavour as well. Thailand and Dubai have already confirmed their participation and we are expecting participation from countries like Germany, South Africa, US, Canada, Russia, Australia Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Britain etc”, added Mr Davar.
“It would be a first of its kind initiative, primarily aimed at creating an enabling environment conducive to the growth of tourism sector and attracting investments in Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and UT Chandigarh. Chandigarh has been chosen as the location due to its connectivity with plain states and being a gateway to the hilly states, in addition to being the Capital of both Punjab & Haryana. Chandigarh acts a transit point for tourists in addition to being a hub of Tourism, Culture, Festivity and Business of North India”, Mr Davar further highlighted.
“CII would invite Chief Ministers of all Northern states at the conclave and create a Chief Ministers’ Forum to address various issues like infrastructure, connectivity, security, cleanliness, Information sharing, accommodation, food, travel and policies etc. which hinder the growth of tourism. We would also push all states to have a Tourism Policy in place,” shared Mr Arjun Sharma, Chairman, CII Tourism Fest 2013 & Managing Director, Le Passage to India.
“The Toursim Sector grew at a rate of 4 % last year globally as compared to the manufacturing sector which grew at less than 2 %. The total estimated spend on infrastructure would be $ 1 Trillion in the 12th plan as against just $ 600 Billion since independence; hence Tourism sector is bound to flourish. There is an immense potential of tourism in India, considering our great heritage, beautiful locations and cheaper medical facilities. We just need to brand it well”. The Fest would comprise a lot of Buyer Seller Meets; deliberations on required Policy initiatives; International Dance Shows; National and International Food Festivals, Golf Tournament; International Chef Meets; Leisure & Excursion Trips etc,” informed Mr Sharma.
CII has created a Steering Committee to spearhead this unique initiative which comprise of Mr Amitabh Khosla, Country Director, IATA ; Mr Rajan Sehgal, President, International Golf Tourism Association (IGTA), Mr M D Kapoor, Secretary General, (FHRAI), Mr Sanjeet, Director, DDP Publications Pvt. Ltd etc.
“Various stakeholders that would participate in addition to governments include Hoteliers, Hospitals, Tour Operators, Travel Agents, Golf Courses & Resorts, Central & State Government Tourism Agencies, Tourism Board of various Countries, Airlines, Airports, Air Charters Companies, City Transport Providers, Railways and IRCTC, Industry experts in hospitality and tourism, Administrators of academic programs in hospitality and tourism, Publishers of journals and academic textbooks, Tourism Web Portal Companies, Educational Institutes, Holiday Clubs, Spa & Wellness Centers etc” further mentioned Mr Sharma.
"The northern states are keen to seek fresh investments and forge new partnerships in tourism and hospitality sector that would in turn help create a lot of jobs and lead to inclusive growth. ‘Tourism Fest’ is an effort to create a platform for northern states to showcase their potential to play host to the world”, he added.
“Chandigarh would be dressed as a bride to host the 1st ever Tourism Fest. We all are tourists and we all contribute to economy while we travel”, pointed Mr D K Tiwari, Secretary, Tourism, Chandigarh Administration. “The inbound tourism in India was less than 1 % of our GDP last year so we need to put huge impetus on tourism and enhance the facilities, services, amenities and promote India as a preferred tourist destination. A lot needs to be done to enhance Brand of India as a Tourist hub”, He added.
According to CII, The Conference would dwell on aspects like participative role of Central & State Governments and agencies, Demand & Supply Scenario in India, Tourism Development: Destination Marketing, Urban and Regional Tourism Development, Sustainable Tourism, Economic Sustainability and impact of tourism on economy, Marketing and branding strategies, Human resources management strategies for tourism & hospitality industry, Case studies of good practices in tourism governance, policy making and management.
Mr Pikender Pal Singh, Regional Director, CII NR, shared that ‘Tourism Fest’ aims to showcase opportunities of tourism and hospitality sector in India especially in North, address some of the limiting factors and portray north as a preferred tourist destination with a large domestic base. It is high time, we portrayed India as a tourist destination and work to enhance brand India.”