Gujarat invites Sri Lanka to develop coastal tourism

September 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Defence Minister A. K. Antony will inaugurate the regional Coast Guard headquarters in Gandhinagar on October 3 to strengthen the coastal security as part of measures taken by the government after the Mumbai terror attacks.

August 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja will inaugurate a one-day workshop on World-Class Tourism Infrastructure here today. The objective of the workshop is to develop world class tourism infrastructure in consultation with architects, the engineering organisations, tourism managers and consultants.

August 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja will inaugurate a one-day workshop on World-Class Tourism Infrastructure here tomorrow. The objective of the workshop is to develop world class tourism infrastructure in consultation with architects, the engineering organisations, tourism managers and consultants.

July 22nd, 2009 COLOMBO - The pristine beaches in Sri Lanka's north, where a 25-year ethnic conflict came to an end two months ago following the crushing defeat of the Tamil Tigers, are getting ready to open up to tourism in a big way, says an official. "Now that the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) is gone, we are preparing to develop Sri Lanka's north in a big way," S.

July 15th, 2009 PANAJI - More than the terror threat in the aftermath of the Nov 26 attacks, it was the media hype about it that ruined Goa's tourism party in December and January, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat said here Wednesday. "All (TV news) channels were showing Goa is under threat.

July 2nd, 2009 GANDHINAGAR - The Gujarat government Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to develop tourism facilities in the state and revamp road infrastructure in its coastal region. The government will invest as much as Rs.600 crore this fiscal to develop "world-class tourism facilities" in many destinations, including Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace Porbandar, Dandi, Narayan Sarovar-Koteshwar and Siddhpur, an official at the state tourism department said.

May 31st, 2009 KUSHINAGAR - An international airport is soon to come up in Kushinagar, the destination of Buddha 'Parinirvana' or final salvation, where Buddha breathed his last. The place is connected by road only.

May 24th, 2009 GANDHINAGAR - Gujarat will shortly contact Sri Lanka following its offer of assistance to set up resorts along the state's 1,600-km coastline. "At the Vibrant Gujarat summit in January, Sri Lankan officials had offered to help us set up resorts on the Saurashtra-Kutch coastline on a public private partnership (PPP) model," a senior state tourism department official said.

May 19th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is set to launch a Gujarat-specific weather information website June 1, an official said Tuesday. The website, which was long sought by the Gujarat government considering the state's 1,600 km-long coastline and the increasing maritime activity.

April 23rd, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narendra Modi on Thursday invited Congress President Sonia Gandhi to Gujarat. "Sonia Gandhi is coming to Gujarat for campaigning.

February 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government is alive to the threat of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) attempting to infiltrate its operatives into south India via Sri Lanka and has taken steps to counter this, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday.

January 27th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Gujarat Tourism is hosting the India Travel Mart (ITM) here from Jan 30 to Feb 1, officials said Wednesday. Malaysia and Dubai are partner countries for this international travel and tourism exhibition while Uttarakhand is the partner state.

January 21st, 2009 AHMEDABAD - People of Ahmedabad as well as tourists would be able to enjoy a boat ride on the Sabarmati river from next year, as a firm plans to invest Rs.7.5 million (Rs.75 lakh) to start the service. Akshar Travels Pvt Ltd, an Ahmedabad-based travel firm, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government to introduce river cruises and to develop tourism infrastructure along the river.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Sri Lanka Wednesday sought India's help in strengthening tourism to meet the challenges posed by the global meltdown. The issue was discussed in a meeting between Tourism Minister Ambika Soni and her Sri Lankan counterpart Milinda Moragoda, who also expressed keenness to participate in the travel marts organised by India, including the Great Indian Travel Bazar to be held in April.

January 12th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Sri Lanka is an ideal tourist destination for people from India as it offers an experience 'Indians want', senior officials from the nation said here Tuesday. 'I see India as our biggest source of market as our product offering is very close to what the Indians want,' Bernard Goonetilleke, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, told reporters here.