Union Minister of State for Tourism, Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi arrived in Agartala on Tuesday on a three-day visit to the State. He held a review meeting with the officials of the State Tourism Department at Agartala State Guest House today.
In the meeting, he said that pursuing the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre is working on boosting conventional tourism in tandem with adventure and spiritual tourism across the country, and the states should also materialize this as the tourism concept has taken newer forms and new molecules are being incorporated.
Among others, Tourism Minister Sushanta Choudhury, Tourism Secretary Uttam Kumar Chakma, Director, Tourism Deptt and Managing Director, Tripura Tourism Corporation Prasanta Negi were present at the meeting.
He said that Tripura has a huge potential in the tourism sector. To tap this potential, he emphasised maintaining aesthetics, cleanliness, modernity and true professionalism in tourist destinations. He also said that the unemployed youth, with the help of taking MUDRA loan can be made tourism entrepreneurs.
Today’s review meeting discussed the progress of ongoing projects under Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD schemes at Matabari, Unakoti, Agartala and other proposed projects.
He underlined the scope of a tourism festival in the state spreading a month or fortnight long of the best season from September to March with a platter of a mixed milieu of folk cultures, the culture of other states, inviting them, presenting a collage of different genres including their own culture, folklore, indigenous and local food and the importance of places of interest.
The minister also suggested that special care should be taken to ensure that the environment is not polluted in any way.
He emphasized afforestation, protection of flora and fauna, as part of tourist attraction, further emphasising upon tapping the prospects of circuit tourism admixing the spiritual tourism, water rafting, mountaineering, shooting and paragliding etc.
Interacting with the media persons later, Shri Gopi said that the central government would actively consider the proposals made by the state government for the development of the tourism industry of Tripura. Later in the evening, the Minister visited the central Agartala-Akhaura Integrated Check Post (ICP) and held that this border and the cultural affinity of people between the two sides can further boost tourism.
(Tripura, Tripura News)
