Naidu Seeks Pvt Funds In Tourism Infrastructure Infrastructure

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu yesterday promised his governments commitment to promote private investment in a big way to develop tourist infrastructure in the state.

The government will act as only the facilitator or catalyst rather than the investor. It is for the private parties to make the investment, he said while inaugurating a two-day South-South-East Asian convention on tourism organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.

Naidu said tourist circuits have been identified by international consultants and the master plan for every circuit will be ready by the year-end.

The convention is being attended by over 300 delegates from 20 South-East Asian countries and most of the state governments.

Nepalese finance minister Rabindranath Sharma and the chief executives of World Travel & Tourism Council and World Tourism Organisation are also attending.

The Chief Minister also opened an exhibition on tourist potential of the countries in the region.

Naidu said the government was drawing up a master plan for the integrated development of tourism in the state and international consultants have been appointed for the purpose.

Explaining the stress on promoting tourism, he said it was a major foreign exchange earner and had huge employment generation potential.

The Chief Minister made detailed presentation on his Vision 2020 plan and the importance accorded to tourism in it.

CII tourism committee chairman Ravi Bhoothalingam explained the scope of the convention and hoped that at the end of two days, they will be able to come out with concrete plans for inter-regional cooperation in tourism.

Union tourism secretary M P Bezbaruah called for a hard look at tourist infrastructure in the country if the potential is to be tapped fully.

Nepalese finance minister Sharma called for greater in-flow of Indian tourists into his country and announced that 1998 will be observed by Nepal as tourism promotion year.