| According to the report, between January and March 2006 number of tourists visiting the state rose to 29,15,894 compared with 17,50,261 visitors in the corresponding period last year. |
| PD Vaghela, managing director of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat (TCGL), said, "There is also a growth in the number of foreign tourists visiting the state. The inflow has gone up almost four-fold." The number of foreigners visiting the state, which includes 50 per cent NRIs, was 15,073 in Jan-Mar 2005 period which was 63,466 people in the same period this year, Vaghela said. |
| "There is a significant diversion in the number of tourists visiting this year. The efforts by the state to promote Navratri and other festivals have shown results," Vaghela added. |
| Many tourist-friendly policies are introduced to boost tourism in the state. Selected hotels, for example, now enjoy the benefit of deduction in luxury, sales, electricity and entertainment taxes for five years. |
| The benefit of tax holiday will also be made available for the purpose of expansion of existing projects. |
| Ahmedabad has garnered a lion's share of the total inflow of tourists with 18.11 per cent and pilgrim places like Dwarka and Ambaji registered 8.79 per cent and 9.14 per cent respectively. |
| The state government has also decided to conduct campaigns in other parts of the country. |
| "We are having travel and trade fair shows and roadshows in various parts of the country. We will be in Bangalore from July 15-18 and in Chennai from July 21-24. Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi and Maharashtra will be covered later," said Nalin Thaker, joint MD, TCGL. |
| "The Centre has allocated Rs 60 crore. Of this, Rs 10 crore will be given to the forest department to develop eco-tourism projects and the rest will be distributed among all 25 districts," Thaker said. |
| Ahmedabad and Kutch will receive Rs 3 crore each while Surat will get Rs 2 crore for sanitation, development of roads and water. |
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