 "Gujarat keen on emerging as medical tourism hub")
New Delhi: Gujarat government is planning to develop the state as a potential medical tourism hub.
Principal Secretary (Tourism) Vipul Mitra said the state has got some of the best medical facilities and a lot of medical infrastructure is coming up.
“We wish to develop Gujarat as a medical tourist destination,” he told reporters here.
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Mitra said the state has evolved as a tourist destination centre in the last five to six years and insisted that it has got a lot to offer to the tourism industry as a whole.
Emphasising on the varied geographical and ancient architecture, he said Gujarat is a “complete holiday destination for a family.
“Gujarat has something to offer for everyone. From young to old everyone can enjoy his stay in Gujarat,” he said.
Mitra hailed the state’s association with megastar Amitabh Bachchan as a turning point in the Gujarat’s tourism industry.
“Our association with Bachhan has been really great. He has got a huge following and the state has benefited from it,” he said adding that they were looking to carry forward the relationship with the cine icon.
Mitra also said that states hotel industry is growing by leaps and bounds and has the potential to accommodate global tourist.
“The number of hotel rooms have increased from 4,000 to 64,000. There has also been great rise in the number of tourists visiting the state in last two year. We have received more than one crore tourists from across the globe in last five-six years,” Mitra said adding in the last two years alone they have received 54 lakh tourists.
The Principal Secretary, however, said a lot of the credit must go to the political and bureaucratic stability in the state.
“I have always mentioned that along with political stability, bureaucratic stability was also important and Gujarat offers both. The state offers a lot of autonomy in its functioning, which helps in long term planning,” he said.
Mitra also informed about the success of various tourism initiatives in the state, including the ongoing Rann Utsav in Kutch, and said the government was looking forward to increase its spending in the tourism sector.
He also informed about the upcoming festivals in the state which which will help in promoting the tourism, prominent being the Kite Festival, starting from January 7, which will see around 100 international kite fliers from across the world.
Mitra said the festival will start off in Delhi and Mumbai with the kite fliers promoting the idea of “Chalo Gujarat”.
President of Indian Association Of Tour Operators, Subash Goyal said Gujarat is “one of the most exciting places” to visit even from the security perspective.
PTI
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