The Karnataka Region Economic Trade Organisation (KRETO) today said it plans to issue 3,000 E-Tourist Cards this year to encourage potential investors from Estonia who visit the state as tourists. The card is aimed at potential investors who visit the state as Tourists.
Every potential investor visiting as a tourist will be exposed to quality offers that give them a taste of the local culture and tradition, KRETO Executive Director Asif Iqbal told reporters here.
"This will enable them to also savor local cuisine with the help of well-informed recommendations, an opportunity to visit local homes and to stay in villages," Iqbal said. The process promises to create employment opportunities for tourism in the smaller cities and villages of Karnataka and also the opportunity for visitors to enjoy the local culture in turn, he said.
The card has been conceptualized and developed with strategic support from Estonia who have provided advisory support, since they already have their own E-citizen card which is operational and hugely successful for the first time in the world, he said.
KRETO also signed an MoU with the Asian Arab Chamber of Commerce for setting up an innovation centre in United Arab Emirates, Iqbal said.
"It has been designed to help midsized investors from Karnataka to have a permanent space to display their products and to also benefit from marketing support to attract investors from Europe and the Middle East," he said. Mid-sized companies will enjoy a support system in the UAE at nominal costs along with a representation service which is free of charge, he added.
"I want to provide the people of Karnataka a facility toshowcase their services and products at a nominal cost, and to encourage the state with whom I have been personally doing business with for the last 6 years. With the Karnataka diaspora already present in the UAE, I see immense potential and opportunity for cross border transactions and growth," AACC President Princess Fay Jahanara said.
KRETO also signed an MoU with the Bosnia and Herzegovina governments to screen Kannada films in an exclusive Kannada panorama in the upcoming Sarajevo film festival, KRETO Deputy Chairperson Shabeena Sultana said.
"This is the third largest film festival in Europe after the festivals in Cannes and Rome. This unique initiative will ensure that Kannada films get maximum thrust by being showcased in foreign countries," she said.
