Indian tourism chief meets with Indonesian investors
Indonesia’s tourism minister wants Indonesian investors to know one thing–her country, with an expected 10 million foreign tourists by 2010, is ripe for investing.
India's Culture and Tourism Minister Ambika Soni recently met with a high level 15-member Indonesian parliamentarian delegation, led by Vice Speaker of the Commissioner Abdul Hakam Naja, in New Delhi.
During their one hour meeting, Minister Soni told the visiting delegation about the steps taken India to promote domestic as well as international tourism in the country, according to India Travel Online.
In attracting the visiting Indonesian investors to invest in the hotel industry in India, Minister Soni said more than 4.43 million tourists visited India in the year 2006 and that country is projecting 10 million foreign tourists by 2010.
The Indian minister also told the group that 100 percent foreign direct investment is allowed in hotel sector in India and already US$6.5 billion is in the pipeline in hotel construction.
Minister Soni also told the Indonesian investors about measures being taken to ease travel into India. According to the Indian official, plans are being made to allow visa on arrival facility in Delhi and Mumbai airports once these airports are upgraded and modernized. Also, the move to give visa on arrival by the government will get facilitated with airlines giving advance passenger information to security agencies.
Further, the minister told the Indonesian delegation that some of the areas of cooperation between the two countries that could be strengthened are human resource development in tourism sector, capacity building, participation in tourism marts and fairs, exchange of travel correspondents and writers, and holding of exhibitions of art and culture in each other's country.
India and Indonesia can contribute significantly in promoting regional cooperation in Asia-Pacific region in the tourism sector, Minister Soni said.
Source: India Travel Online
July 31, 2007
Posted in: India