Guwahati:As an endeavour of Press Information Bureau(PIB), thirteen journalists from different parts of Maharashtra are on a 3 day visit to Assam from 2nd November. On the first day of this tour journalists visited Kamakhya temple-one of the historic temples under the Riverine based Religious Tourism Circuit under Government’s Sagarmala Programme.To get an insight into the tourism potential of the state, the journalists visited Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (ATDC) office to have an interaction with the officials of Assam Tourism Department. Shri Kumar Padmapani Bora, Managing Director, ATDC Ltd briefed the media team about various initiatives undertaken by the government for the development of tourism sector in Assam. He apprised the journalists with a comprehensive briefing about the rich culture, heritage and tourist attractions in the state.
He said that Assam has huge potential in wildlife tourism as there are 7 National parks and 19 wildlife sanctuary in the state. And the government is giving priority for the infrastructural development in the sector so that more tourist can visit these places.Shri Bora further said that the state has witnessed a nearly two-fold rise in the number of tourists arriving in the state compared to the past scenario. He informed that during the last financial year around 10 million tourists visited the state and most of them are from the state of West Bengal, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The department targeted tourists from across the country and organised Brahmaputra carnival which aimed to captivate the attention of people from across the world by showcasing Assamese culture, traditions, handicrafts, and cuisine and offering adventure activities, he added. While discussing with the journalists he said that Kamakhya temple in the city stands as the most visited destination and on the other hand, Kaziranga National Park takes the lead in terms of attracting tourists. He informed the media team that Charaideo maidams of Assam is India’s sole nomination for recognition as a Unesco World Heritage Site in cultural category this year. The historic site, located in upper Assam, is known for pyramid-like mound burials of Ahom kings and queens, he added.Later on the day the media team visited the Press Club of Guwahati. Smt. Susmita Goswami, President of Press Club welcomed the group of Journalists. The Press Team engaged with fellow Journalists from Guwahati and exchanged their experiences in their respective states.
