New Delhi, Feb 29 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh has bagged the best state award at the National Tourism Awards presented by President Pratibha Patil in the capital Wednesday.
While Madhya Pradesh was followed by Rajasthan. Sikkim won in the category of Jammu & Kashmir and northeast.
Hyderabad won the award for best heritage city while Delhi Tourism & Transportation Development Corporation Ltd won it for running the best heritage walk.
Giving away the awards, Patil said: “The World Travel and Tourism Council has ranked India as a tourism hot-spot, with a very high growth possibility in the coming years.”
“At the same time, it is good that efforts are underway in India, to increase its share of world tourist arrivals to 1 percent by the end of the Twelfth Five Year Plan, from the present level of 0.6 percent. To achieve the targets, naturally a multi-pronged approach would be necessary, to ensure that the experience of the tourist is pleasant, hassle-free and an enriching one,” she said.
National tourism awards are presented every year by tourism ministry to various segments of the travel and tourism industry in recognition of their respective fields.
The ministry this year has introduced three new categories of awards – “The Best State: Campaign Clean India”, “Best Heritage City” and “Best Heritage Walk”.
