india

Updated: Sep 20, 2019 20:51 IST

Union tourism minister Prahlad Singh Patel on Friday said the tourism sector in the country needs a change in perception more than just resources to take it forward.

“The needs of tourists is what we all need to think about: Is there a diaper changing room?” Prahlad Singh Patel said in his keynote address at the HT Tourism Conclave. The minister said issues like Chinese tourists’ demand for guides in their own language and their concern about the quality of bottled water can be fixed. He said all stakeholders need to be brought on board to thrash out all such issues.

The minister singled out Ladakh region’s potential that also indicated its neglect over the years. “When I went to the region, I inquired about ancient forts and mud structures from the region. During my interactions with the officials of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), I got more insights than what I got from the officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),” the minister said.

He said that during his travels in the region after the abrogation of Article 370, they found Buddha statues which were as high as 40 feet, some of which had been damaged. “There has been a fair amount of injustice done to the region,” said Patel.

Patel said that the Ladakh region has great potential for adventure tourism. “We issued an advisory abroad about this, and it made a major impact on the tourism of the place,” said the minister.

The tourism minister, the minister said, is now working on courses of developing training courses for adventure at the National Institute of Water Sports to help come up with guidelines for trekking tour operators.

HT Tourism Conclave brings together illustrious minds, visionaries and government representatives from the tourism industry to discuss strategies and growth drivers that will not only translate into meaningful changes but also reshape the way we think tourism.