Indian Embassy organises ‘Know India’ seminar
India has evolved as a round-the-year destination: Rao
KUWAIT CITY, Oct 24: The Indian Embassy in Kuwait in collaboration with India Tourism Office Dubai organized a ‘Know India’ seminar at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Salmiya, to promote India as a destination to peoples from the Gulf and the Middle East region.
The Gulf and Middle East region are emerging as an important tourism generating market for India, said I.R.V. Rao, Assistant Director, India Tourism Dubai (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India). “There is so much to see in India – the historical monuments, palaces, museums, forts, the lush greenery, forests, hill stations, etc which are visited by foreign tourists round the year,” he added.
During a Power Point presentation, Rao, depicted the country as a multi-faceted tourist destination for luxury, wildlife, and wellness/ medical tourism. “India has evolved as a round-the-year destination,” he added.
He went on to say all efforts are being made to develop niche products like wellness and medical tourism; adventure and wildlife tourism; film tourism; monsoon tourism; golf, polo and sports tourism and MICE tourism, while at the same time adding value to the cultural and heritage products of the country.
The idea of ‘Incredible India’ Know India Seminar, he said, was to promote Indian tourism and offer to this part of the world the unique identity, the mosaic of different faiths, the rugged mountains, the snow covered terrain, the wild life sanctuaries and national parks, wellness and above all the friendly people of this great country India.
India has become the preferred destination also for ‘Medical Value Travel’ and holds significant competitive advantage in quality healthcare, delivery, clinical outcomes on par with the world’s best, internationally qualified and experienced doctors, competitive costs, world class medical infrastructure, Indian warmth and hospitality and exotic tourist destinations, he said.
He added, India has a rich architectural legacy dating back to the ancient past. Timeless monuments, magnificent temples, and breathtaking sites... India never ceases to lure the travelers.
In the hinterland of India, a tourist comes face-to-face with reality and diversity of the true Indian experience. Live your experience to the full in rural India where the village encounter provides a natural landscape which could vary from a tea plantation to a fishing village.
Experience
The breath-taking beaches of Goa, Kerala and Orissa, the backwaters of Kerala offer a unique experience. This is in addition to the wild life sanctuaries, adventure tourism, trekking, medical tourism, wellness centers and the unforgettable shopping experience. In short India has something to offer for everyone.
There is peace and tranquility in the Indian countryside. There is music and dance. The cuisine is authentic and richly varied.
The Gulf and the Middle East has been showing a positive trend and foreign tourist visiting India has considerably increased over the past years.
He disclosed in coordination with the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Ministry of Tourism will organize the Incredible India Global Tourism Mart 2017 from Feb 1 to Feb 4, 2017, at the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, to attract more tourists to India.
The Ambassador of India to Kuwait, Sunil Jail speaking on the occasion said the Embassy is doing its best to promote tourism from this part of the world to India and to make things easier for the tourists.
He added, the e-visa facility for the Kuwaitis is in the offing – a facility at the moment enjoyed by the UAE, Sultanate of Oman and Jordan.
Since India is popular for Wellness Tourism with the ancient practice of healing, yoga and ayurveda which has been known for more than 5,000 years, the percentage of foreign tourists visiting India for medical treatment has also been increasing over the years and growing rapidly since the year 2000.
Earlier, the Indian Embassy Cultural Secretary A.K. Srivastava in his welcome address of ‘Know India’ seminar said India is well known for her diversity and is one of the most preferred holiday destinations for tourists all over the world.
Starting from Jammu and Kashmir in the North to the southernmost point of Kanya Kumari and from the arid deserts of Rajasthan to the greenery of North East, India has been a source of immense fascination for nature lovers from all parts of the world, he said.
He added, Rajasthan is one of the most colorful States of India and finds prominence place in most of the Bollywood films. It is one of the most popular travel destinations in India and every third foreign tourist visiting India also travels to Rajasthan.
Known for historical monuments, the modern Rajasthan Tourism, he said, is benchmarked for the warm hospitality and internationally awarded hotels and resorts — a perfect amalgamation of ages old traditional culture, modern luxury and comforts.
Touring Rajasthan is a unique experience which leaves you spell bounded as you explore it more and more. The major tourist destinations like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur are well interconnected to take up a round tour in form of itinerary. Rajasthan also connects to other popular places like Agra, Khajuraho and Varanasi, he added.
Modernity
The Metropolitan cities of India are the best places to see the co-existence of both the rich legacy of the past and its modernity. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi and Hyderabad to name a few, are the cities with metropolitan characteristics.
He disclosed India has 30 States and 7 Union Territories. While the official language of India is Hindi and Urdu, 22 languages are recognized by the Constitution of India.
English is widely used as the medium of communication for work in all departments of the Govt. of India and some State governments. There are more than 1,500 local dialects which are spoken in various parts of India.
The event was also attended by Shubashis Goldar, Deputy Chief of Mission and Chief Public Information Officer, V. Dr Sushil Kumar, SS (Consular); Krishan Kumar Pahel, First Secretary (Political/Community Affairs); Thomas Joseph, Attache (Labour -1); senior embassy officials, the media fraternity, airlines representatives, travel agents, and tour operators from India to Kuwait.