Delegates of G20's tourism working group will get to enjoy Kutchi garba, beda raas, Siddi dhamal, art forms from all over Gujarat and the flavours of the state, even as the three-day meet kicks off at the Tent City in Dhordo in border district of Kutch from Tuesday.
More than 100 delegates from the G20 nations and other nations invited by India are taking part in the event. Three more events of the tourism working group will be held in Siliguri, one in North India and the last one of ministerial level in Goa.
Bhuj, Dhordo and the roads leading to Dholavira have been decked up to welcome the foreign dignitaries. For this international large-scale event, police force and government employees from all parts of Gujarat have been roped in.
The delegates, who are to be flown into Bhuj from New Delhi, will receive a traditional welcome. The Bhuj airport has been decorated in a traditional manner and an arch has also been created at the arrival.
The deliberations and the two side events are closed door and at the end of the three-day event, the delegates are expected to come up with recommendations. The government hopes that these recommendations and the experiences gained from the delegates about the best practices in their respective countries will go a long way in boosting tourism in India.
Tourism secretary Arvind Singh said that in the places where there are no industries, there is no alternative to tourism.
He said that India has also planned a Global Tourism Investment Summit and it will be held some time in April or May. Year 2023 has been declared as Visit India Year, he added.
Gujarat tourism secretary Hareet Shukla said the delegates will get the flavour of Gujarat. On February 9, village sarpanchs will interact with the delegates.
On the first day of their arrival on Tuesday, the delegates will be shown cultural programmes and taken to White Rann. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will host a dinner for them.
On Wednesday, the delegates will be preoccupied with the main event and side events. Representatives from organisations like the UNEP are also participating.
The delegates will visit World Heritage Site Dholavira on Thursday and on February 10 they will be taken to Smriti Van in Bhuj. The Smriti Van has been built in memory of 2001 earthquake victims.
The meeting is to focus on Green tourism, digitalization, skills, tourism MSMEs and destination management.
