The Hindu : National : Sightseeing packages for children

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 25, 2005

National

National

Sightseeing packages for children

Special Correspondent

As part of World Tourism Day on September 27

NEW DELHI: Launching of sightseeing packages for underprivileged children from orphanages, exclusive website for rural destinations and co-branding of "Incredible India" with Air India and Microsoft will mark the celebration of World Tourism Day here on September 27.

As part of the celebrations, Air India would now have the "Incredible India" brand displayed at the tail of its select aircraft and Indian tourism themes with music would be available at the Microsoft Window, Tourism Ministry officials said.

Tourist taxis with the "Incredible India" legend would ply on the roads of metropolitan cities from September 27.

Indian tourism has been declared the fastest growing — at about 8.8 per cent annually — by leading tourism organisations, including the World Tourism Organisation.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee will inaugurate a photo exhibition here on the occasion.

Tourism is the third highest foreign exchange earner for the country.

More than Rs. 21,000 crores came through tourist arrivals last year, showing a jump of 40 per cent over the previous year. In 2003-04, the estimated direct employment in the tourism sector was 20.45 million and indirect 27.81 million.

By 2010, the sector is expected to provide 25 million new jobs.

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