Tourism plan on track,Rajdhani,Shatabdi roped in

Apart from the Indian railways,also on the Ministrys radar are new fleet of low-floor buses plying in cities and towns under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission JNNURM. The Ministry of Tourism is already in discussions with various stakeholders to get the plan off the ground

The idea is to create a buzz about tourism within the country as well. So,one train could be decorated in the colours and images of Kerala,another,say,on Kashmir or the North-East. Certain trains running along the Golden Quadrilateral, too,can have a distinct look. Thrust would be on destinations in remote or unexplored areas,and the Northeast as well, said an official.

The plan,say officials,will fill the long-felt vacuum in advertising and brand promotion in domestic tourism and to also pass on the socio-economic benefit of tourism to areas unexplored so far. The Ministry is now initiating discussions with the Indian Railways,state governments and the Travel and Tour Operators Association of India on the proposal.

Incidentally,it was the Kerala Tourism Department that first launched this kind of tourism promotion exercise. In January this year,the 17-coach Rajdhani Express,connecting Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram,was wrapped in colourful vinyl graphics depicting Keralas many tourist destinations. Union Minister for Tourism Kumari Selja had flagged off the train from the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi.