'Incredible India' a real experience: Govt

Buoyed by the surge in tourist arrivals, Centre has plans to embark on an ambitious project to speedily develop key tourism destinations and circuits to make 'Incredible India' a real experience.

Under the project, government will be providing select tourist destinations and circuits additional funds of Rs 25 crore and Rs 50 crore each respectively.

"The Tourism Ministry will be selecting some 10 to 15 tourist destinations in the country where concerted efforts and concentrated investment will be made to make those places attractive," Tourism Secretary A K Misra told PTI ahead of the World Tourism Day on September 27.

It would be a centrally-driven project, he said adding Agra and Varanasi are among the first identified projects.

Misra said foreign tourist arrivals recorded a quantum jump of 24 per cent at 3.37 million last year and the target was five million in the current year.

Seeking convergence of resources by state governments for all round integrated development of destinations, he cited the success story of Ajanta-Ellora where facilities were upgraded with the help of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation.

Similarly, Humpi in Karnataka and Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu were other destinations where large scale improvement brought about palpable impact, he said.

First Published: Sep 27, 2005 12:37 IST