- About 75 to 100 delegates will be flown into Bhuj by a chartered flight on February 7 from New Delhi.
- Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will host a dinner for the delegates
- Delegates of Rann of Kutch meeting will be taken to Dholavira which is a UNESCO world heritage site and through this people in our own country and in other countries will come to know about such sites which will help in enhancing tourism
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
NEW DELHI/GANDHINAGAR, FEB 3
As part of India’s G20 presidency, Gujarat will host the first Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting in Rann of Kutch from February 7 to 9, the Ministry of Tourism said in statement.
Gujarat is a perfect blend of historical sites to natural landscapes. Experience the #cultural diversity & scenic beauty of #Gujarat during 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.
📍 Rann of Kutch
𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 7th – 9th February 2023#gujarattourism #G20 pic.twitter.com/KOkYGSN7lW— Gujarat Tourism (@GujaratTourism) February 3, 2023
Briefing the Media in New Delhi, Union Tourism secretary Arvind Singh said that in G20, there are 5 inter related priority areas for tourism . Accordingly, thrust will be on these five priorities areas i.e. greening of tourism sector, harnessing the power of digitisation, empowering youth with skills, nurturing tourism MSMEs/ startups and rethinking the strategic management of destinations.
Sh. Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, Government of India held a media brief today at Transport Bhawan, New Delhi highlighting Ministry of Tourism ongoing preparations for the G20 First Tourism Working meeting to be held from 7th to 9th February 2023 at Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/95FxDxSAWJ
— Ministry of Tourism (@tourismgoi) February 3, 2023
He further explained that side events on Rural and Archaeological tourism will be organised to promote tourism during the first Working Group Meeting. He also informed that success stories of Indian tourism will be showcased to the foreign delegates during the same.
#G20India unlocking India’s tourism potential!
Prior to the meeting, #G20 delegates got the opportunity to visit @kaziranga_ #UNESCO world heritage site and learn about the diversity of flora & fauna of India. @incredibleindia @CMOfficeAssam
🎥 Delegates share experience pic.twitter.com/J7uDVyT0sW
— G20 Brasil (@g20org) February 2, 2023
The secretary disclosed that one of the priorities through G20 platform is to reach a consensus on how the SDG goals will be achieved by 2030. As a part of this, there will be emphasis on sustainable tourism which is important not only for environment but also to create opportunities for local enterprise.
Singh said that G20 will help in raising awareness about the tourism potential of India at the global level as the delegates of the meetings at 55 different locations will be exposed to Indian culture and tourist destinations.
He also informed that delegates of Rann of Kutch meeting will be taken to Dholavira which is a UNESCO world heritage site and through this people in our own country and in other countries will come to know about such sites which will help in enhancing tourism.
The secretary also added that the improvement in hospitality and management skills of the local populace, especially the youth who would attend to the influx of tourists is also an agenda. The same has also been one of the key highlights of the budget for FY2023-24.
He also mentioned that there will be live demonstrations of the local arts and handicrafts before the delegates and also the farewell gifts to the delegates will be under the One District One Product initiative.
Giving more details, Arvind Singh said that 3 mega tourism related events are being organised to take advantage of the G20 Presidency. These include Global Investors’ Summit in April, MICE Convention and meeting of World Tourism CEOs Forum. These are in addition to the G20 related events.
He also informed that ministerial level Communique, entailing the direction which the different countries have agreed upon to take forward during G20 meetings, will be presented at the end of the summit. The different places chosen for the G20 events will encompass different flavours like rural, archaeological, historical etc.
Mona Khandhar, principal secretary of economic affairs, Gujarat government, said in Gandhinagar on Friday that the secretary-level meeting will also have two side events. About 75 to 100 delegates will be flown into Bhuj by a chartered flight on February 7 from New Delhi. They will be shown the white Rann on the first day. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will host a dinner for them.
“Secretary-level delegates from the developed nations are taking part and we are hopeful that the tourism sector will get a boost from the recommendations that emerge from the meeting,” said Hareet Shukla, tourism secretary. He said Dhordo is already famous and with this event, Gujarat will be able to put it on the world map. Representatives from UNESCO, UNEP, ADB and ILO will also be attending the meeting.
One of the side events will take place on February 7 and it will be on rural tourism for community empowerment and poverty alleviation. Union Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy and Sandra Carvao, chief of Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness will share their insights.
On February 10, the delegates will be taken to Smriti Van, the newly constructed site in memory of the earthquake victims of 2001.
