Nabam Tuki, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh stated the North East region of India as an ‘unexplored paradise’ during the event of International Tourism Mart (ITM), which was inaugurated on Saturday in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. He said that the North Eastern part of the country has a huge tourism potentiality but is yet to be recognized to its true stature. Putting emphasis to the endorsement of the tourism sector in the region as a top priority, as it opens up huge self employment prospects while adding to the state revenue, Tuki said that this Himalayan state is a treasure box for tourism, which is inhabited by more than 150 major and minor hospitable tribes with their rich cultural background, art and crafts, local cuisines, adds up to the promotion of tourism in Arunachal Pradesh. Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Tourism, Government of India, said that organizing ITM in Tawang proved the degree of commitment from the part of government to boost tourism in North East India, including Arunachal Pradesh and Tawang in particular. Dewan revealed that India registers around 105 crores of domestic tourists and around 65 lakh internal tourists every year, generating revenue of about 18 billion USD from foreigners which adds up to 6.5 per cent of national GDP, besides developing around 10 per cent of direct and indirect employment. Later on, Tuki inaugurated an exposition of 9 participating Indian states, who were exhibiting their tourist potential, traditional, cultural, art and craft uniqueness. The top ranking officials present in this event were, Bhim Dhungel, Minister for Tourism, Government of Sikkim; E E Pangteang, Minister for Tourism, Government of Nagaland; PD Sona, Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism, Government of Arunachal Pradesh; Tsewang Dhondup, Parliamentary Secretary, Art and Culture, Andhra Pradesh. The inaugural function was concluded by the power point presentations though the participants of the participating states. Ref: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?aid=22056&sid=36
