New Delhi (PTI): Gujarat is in the final stages of discussions with private players for starting a regional airline in the State and an agreement for the purpose is likely to be signed on January 13, a top official of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat said in New Delhi on Saturday.

"We are talking to players and a memorandum of understanding for a regional airline in Gujarat is likely to be signed on January 13," Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Chairman Kamalesh Patel told PTI on the sidelines of a road show for the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit, which starts from January 12 in Ahmedabad.

The airline would be a low cost one, he said, but refused to divulge the investment or other details of the carrier.

The coastal State has the highest number of airports in the country, he said, adding that development in the field of aviation would be the key for growth of tourism in the State.

The total number of foreign and domestic tourists in Gujarat is expected to be more than 1.71 crore in the current fiscal. The figure was at 1.41 crore in 2007-08.

Speaking about the fourth Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's Summit, Patel said that the focus of the event would be globalisation of Gujarat tourism.

The summit is a biennial event organised by the Industrial Extension Bureau, a Gujarat government initiative.