K.J Alphons, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism along with Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture, officially inaugurated the ‘Paryatan Parv’ celebrations at Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi. A microsite on the project ‘Adopt a Heritage’, www.adoptaheritage.in, was unveiled during the inauguration of the event jointly by the ministers. Speaking on the occasion, Sharma stressed on the close linkage of culture and tourism in the country and how we need to work on making India’s rich cultural heritage as tourism attractions.
‘Paryatan Parv’ activities began with the flagging of the cycle rally by Smt. Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism from India Gate, New Delhi to Qutab Minar. Approximately 80 cyclists from across Delhi including members of tourism Industry Stakeholders, officials from central Ministries, doctors, teachers, students participated this rally.
The other activities in the capital included a Guided Heritage Walk at Humayun’s Tomb & painting competition for children etc.
Tourism awareness Walk & Run was organised in Shillong, Bhubaneswar, Kovalam (Kerala), Hajipur (Bihar), Gurudaspur, Chennai, Guwahati, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Imphal, Lucknow, Agra, Hyderabad, Gwalior, Bhopal, Panaji(Goa), Delhi .100’s of student from Institute of Hotel Management in the said cities & local stakeholders enthusiastically participated in the Tourism walk & Run. The various State Tourism Departments also joined the celebrations by organizing various events like trekking programme, photography contest, essay competitions, sensitization program etc.
In Guwahati, the students took to rowing in the Brahmaputra river spreading the message of Paryatan Parv.
The Indian Institute of Tourism &Travel Management, Noida organized a painting competition for school children on the theme “Tourism for All”& “Dekho Apna Desh”.
The celebrations will run from 5th to 25th October 2017 across several cities and iconic tourism destinations in the country. Throughout these 20 days, the ‘ParyatanParv’ will give an opportunity for the citizens of the country to explore the cultural heritage and enjoy the diverse cuisine, cultural programmes, music, theatre, etc.
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