Government to organise mega tourism summit around July-August

NEW DELHI: With a view to give boost to the domestic tourism industry, the government plans to organise a mega tourism summit around July-August to attract private investment in the sector.

"We cannot take tourism to new height unless we make various stakeholders as our partners. We have proposed to hold a tourism summit, seeking participation of various stakeholders to give boost to tourism industry," Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said on the sidelines of an event here.

Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi said the summit will be held in July-August and probably in the national capital.

"It will be held in July-August. We are thinking of holding it in Delhi," he said.

Zutshi said India's tourism industry holds a "huge investment potential" and sought investment from domestic as well as foreign players.

"We are creating the infrastructure. It is for the private sector to come and make use of it. With 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI) in tourism sector, we even invite foreign investment," he said.

Tourism in one of the main focus areas of the government to use it as a engine of economic growth, employment generation and for foreign exchange earnings.