Global tourism event in Arunachal to promote northeast

The Tourism Ministry will organise a global tourism event in Arunachal Pradesh next month to promote the northeast as a tourist destination.
The three-day International Tourism Mart will begin on October 17 at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to showcase the Northeast, Tourism Secretary Parvez Dewan said at an event organised by FICCI on the occasion of World Tourism Day.
"There are mountains, rain forests, monasteries and many more... Tawang is the birth place of the sixth Dalai Lama. This is an ideal place to hold such a meet," Dewan said.
He said about 59,000 foreigners are visiting the northeast every year and hoped that the figure would increase.

According to Tourism Ministry data, 1,036.35 million domestic tourists visited different tourist and pilgrim sites in the country.
There is a growth of 15.6 per cent over the previous year in the domestic tourism sector and it is constantly increasing over the years, he said.
Referring to the launch of '777 days of Himalaya' campaign, Dewan said, "Our aim is to make India a 365-day tourist destination. A detailed map of the Himalayas was launched for tourists."
Speaking on the occasion, Amitabh Kant, CEO of Delhi- Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation, said tourism is the key driver of economic growth and also of GDP growth of the country.