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Tourists start arriving

GANGTOK, OCT. 10. With the touch of winter chill in the air, tourists have begun to arrive in the Sikkim hills. Though they are yet to hit the Sikkim Capital in hordes, a scene common during the peak tourist seasons, a considerable number of them can be seen roaming along the narrow pavements of Mahatma Gandhi Road (the main market area) here either window-shopping or haggling with the shopkeepers for a better bargain. The market place looks livelier with renovation work going on in most of the hotels to lure more tourists. The tourism department officials find the initial turn out of tourists this season encouraging. ``The initial crowd of tourists is substantial and we are optimistic that the number will go up with each passing day," Executive Director (Tourism) P.K. Dong said.

He said an increase of 15 per cent in tourist inflow is expected this year.

On an average Sikkim receives a total of three lakh tourists every year out of which 2.88 lakh are domestic tourists and the rest from abroad, he said.

Several tourism orientation programmes are being held in the Capital to ensure a pleasant stay for visitors. The programmes include workshops and live demonstration programmes to taxi drivers on proper behaviour with tourists and applying first aid in case of accidents.

Taxi drivers have a significant role to play in promoting tourism as they deal with visitors on a day-to-day basis, he said. (

A five-day cultural festival exhibiting the unique facets of Sikkimese life is being organised at Namchi, the South district headquarters, later this month to treat the tourists to the specialities of this Himalayan state. The highlights would be ethnic cuisine, Sikkimese handicrafts, numerous varieties of orchids found here and presentations of the State's unique folk music and dance.

The Namchi festival will be held on a large scale with features like food plazas, flower corners, stage and movie shows, poetry recitals by distinguished Nepali poets and trekking expeditions to attract more tourists, South district collector and `Namchi Mahotsav' organising committee chairman Vishal Chauhan said.

PTI

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Tourists start arriving

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