India, Turkey to promote tourism

In a bid to promote tourism between the two countries, India and Turkey decided to initiate exchange visits between the tour operators and travel agents. At a meeting of the Indo-Turkey joint working group on tourism here, the two countries also decided to promote shopping festivals, road shows and tourism fairs to encourage visitors. The delegations from both the sides gave an overview of the tourism sector in their respective countries and underlined its potential for employment and growth. "The increase in tourist inflow would further enhance bilateral relation between the two countries," said Turkish Minister for Tourism and Culture Atilla KOC.

On whether terrorist incidents can hamper the growth of tourism, Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni said "terrorism is a global phenomenon and not only one counrty's headache and we should work together to contain it." "We cannot view terrorism in isolation. We have to work together towards resolution of this global scourge," she said. Pointing out that India was now focussing on niche tourism, Soni said "we are seeking to address the needs of foreign tourists like adventure tourism, eco tourism and ayurvedic tourism." The Turkish side was made aware of the facilities available in India for Human Resource Development in the travel and hoospitality sector. Both sides agreed to establish exchange programme for students and faculty to enhance cooperation by developing partnership programme between leading academic institutions in tourism sector of both countries.

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