Tawang, Oct 30 (PTI) Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Friday held a meeting with the tourism ministers of the northeastern states in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang, and said that together, they were committed to positioning the region as a leading destination on the world map.
The meeting took place on Day 2 of the 14th International Tourism Mart (ITM) being hosted by the Ministry of Tourism here from October 29-31.
It discussed tourism development priorities, regional cooperation, emerging tourism opportunities and measures to improve tourist facilitation across the region, officials said.
Had engaging and constructive discussions on the immense tourism potential of the region, strengthening connectivity, developing new tourism circuits, promoting lesser-known destinations and addressing key challenges facing the sector,” Shekhawat, who holds the tourism and culture portfolios, said in a post on X.
He emphasised the importance of closer Centre-state coordination, sustainable tourism practices and greater participation of local communities to create livelihood opportunities.
Together, we are committed to positioning the Northeast as a leading destination on India’s and the world’s tourism map,” he said.
In a separate session, representatives of the eight northeastern states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya – made detailed presentations on their tourism offerings.
The ITM witnessed the participation of 43 international buyers from 22 countries, 42 domestic buyers from 16 states and Union Territories and 81 sellers, along with media representatives, influencers and tourism stakeholders, the ministry said.
The participating countries included Australia, Belarus, Bhutan, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the UAE, the UK and the US, it said.
At the meeting chaired by Shekhawat, thematic presentations were made to the state tourism ministers on ‘Dekho Apna Desh 2.0’ and the National Digital Tourism Stack (NDTS), which were recently unveiled in Delhi.
Presentations were also made on the Live Concert Economy and Restricted Area Permit (RAP)/Protected Area Permit (PAP) requirements in the northeastern region. The discussions on the live events economy highlighted the potential of music concerts, cultural festivals and other events to attract tourists, encourage longer stays and generate opportunities for local businesses,” the ministry said in a statement.
The presentation on RAP/PAP requirements focused on improving tourist facilitation through simplified application procedures, greater clarity on permit requirements and timely processing, while taking into account security considerations,” it said.
The tourism ministers from the Northeast also shared their views and suggestions on tourism development priorities and regional cooperation. PTI KND
ARI
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