To woo more tourists, Agra may take casino route

The city of the Taj is all set to swear by casinos to persuade foreign tourists to stay the night here. The attractions will also include tr...

The city of the Taj is all set to swear by casinos to persuade foreign tourists to stay the night here. The attractions will also include trips to the Taj to view it in moonlight, state Tourism Minister Naresh Agarwal said on Sunday.

Agarwal told The Indian Express that night stay of tourists in Agra shall be promoted even if the government has to open casinos. Locals, however, shall not be allowed to visit the casinos, to be run by the UP Tourism Department.

On the other ‘carrot’ of viewing the Taj in moonlight, he said the state government is trying to get the monument opened at nights and approval of the Archaeological Survey of India and other agencies is awaited.

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He announced that 2004 shall be celebrated as International Tourism Year in the state with special focus on Agra. Also in the next World Tourism Meet in Berlin, Uttar Pradesh will have a separate venue fashioned like the Taj.

The Tourism Minister added that he shall request Prime Minister Vajpayee to bestow international status on Agra airport, which lies vacant due to the absence of regular flights connecting it to the rest of the country, let alone the world. Agarwal said Sahara Airlines has been asked to include Agra in its major routes.

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