Assam Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah met leading tour operators here to promote the north eastern state as a tourist destination and strengthen cooperation with tourism partners.
As many as 25 Delhi-based tour operators, travel agents and travel journal houses gathered here Thursday evening to prepare attractive packages for promoting Assam in a big way, according to a release of the Assam government.
Baruah asked the tour operators to work in tandem with the tourism department and other stakeholders to promote Assam's tourism sector which has huge potential with its rich culture, tradition, flora and fauna, and make the state a tourist destination.
He asked the tour operators to come up with attractive packages that cater to the tastes of the tourists visiting different destinations. The minister said there has been an increase of tourist footfalls of 573 per cent in domestic tourists and 783 per cent in foreign tourists in 2023 in the state.
This has been possible due to the improved law and order situation in last two years of the present state government with no protests and bandhs taking place, improved infrastructure and new branded hotels and resorts, including five-star, being established in Guwahati, Kaziranga, Manas and other places.
Baruah said the overall feedback from the tour operators and those who visited Assam is very encouraging and that would provide the much-needed impetus to the tourism sector.
He said the government will make arrangements to take the tour operators from Delhi to Assam for a familiarisation tour and that would help them make packages tailored to the needs of tourists.
The minister said the state government has been taking several initiatives to promote tourism such as organising road shows in metropolitan cities and taking part in other tourism-related activities.
