GUJARAT CALLING: Kamlesh Patel, Chairman, Gujarat Tourism, addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Bangalore: The nine-day festival of Navratri will be celebrated from September 23 to October 1 in Gujarat this year, officials of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat announced here on Tuesday.

As part of the "Tourism year" being celebrated in Gujarat, the department is organising various packages for tourists travelling to the State during the festival this year. A series of road shows have been organised in several cities to promote Gujarat as a tourist destination.

The Gujarat Government has allocated Rs. 400 crore in its budget for infrastructure development at important tourist spots, said P.D. Vaghela, Managing Director of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited.

Speaking to presspersons at the road show organised in Bangalore, he said that the Gujarat Government had increased its budget allocation for the tourism sector from Rs. 10 crore to Rs. 100 crore.

Stating that the Gujarat Government would only provide infrastructure, Mr. Vaghela said that the private sector could efficiently manage hospitality and other tourism-related activities. The Government would also tie-up with tour operators, instead of starting its own travel service, he said. The initiatives of the Gujarat Government in promoting tourism had been successful as the number of tourists arriving in the State increased to 77 lakh last year and the State had recorded a 66 per cent increase in the first three months of this year, he said.

The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat was being restructured so that it could soon develop strategies for investment, marketing and human resource development, Mr. Vaghela added.

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