Meanwhile, Port Blair for a future with Phuket

Confirming this, A&N Chief Secretary D S Negi told The Indian Express over phone from Port Blair that this agreement would go a long way in boosting tourism in the islands.

‘‘Port Blair and Phuket have entered into this agreement under the twining cities concept. Phuket is just 450 km from us whereas Chennai and Kolkata are over 1,200 km away. The basic idea is to learn different things from each other on how to make the two islands better and facilitate healthy exchange of tourists.’’

The local administration is asking the Centre to upgrade the Veer Savarkar Airport for international flights. ‘‘We are insisting on international flights to and from the mainland. For instance, Port Blair can easily be made a stopover for SE Asia-bound tourists and vice-versa. We will have a Phuket bonanza in Port Blair and they will earmark Port Blair days to boost tourism,’’ Negi said.

The agreement covers cooperation by both parties to foster relationship and promotion of tourism, education and culture, urban development, solid waste management, commerce and investments.

It envisages exchange of tourist missions for fairs, expositions, tourist festivals, promotion of tourist destinations for each sister city with the end objective of promoting international tourism between one another.

Cultural exchanges will include interaction between students, artists and professionals. On urban development, Port Blair and Phuket shall exchange expertise in innovative water harvesting techniques, upgradation of water treatment plants, study of old water supply network and rationalisation of water distribution network, desilting-relining of old sewers.

Both cities will undertake studies on modern and sustainable methods of solid waste management, especially in the areas of cleaning roads and public places, safe disposal through transportation, development of proper sanitary landfill sites, segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable solid waste and recycling.

Exchanges of commerce missions and participation in expositions, fairs, business meets and other promotions with increased flow of goods and services between the parties are also planned.

For investments, the twin cities will exchange business missions and share information of investment possibilities and business opportunities.

A&N Finance Commissioner Chetan B Sanghvi, who was in the delegation which went to Phuket, is highly optimistic about the outcome of the MoU.

‘‘This provides a unique platform to both cities to learn from each other and leverage that. The twining of Port Blair and Phuket will also go a long way in brightening prospects of tourism in the islands. Both these places have different USPs which can be jointly encashed upon.’’

Tourism director Kuldeep Singh Gangar, who has been worrying over the 90 per cent drop in tourism in the isles, is also upbeat.

‘‘Plans were already afoot to link Port Blair and Phuket by chartered flights from January this year. But the tsunami changed all that. With this agreement now, things will definitely start looking up.’’

Besides marketing the island archipelago in Phuket, the Andaman and Nicobar administration also hosted a ‘‘familiarisation tour’’ of different tour operators.

Star Cruises, which operates luxury liners elsewhere, is also exploring the possibility of introducing liners in the islands.

A five-member delegation from Star Cruises has already met the Lt Governor and Chief Secretary in this regard.