Gujarat keen to emerge as medical tourist destination 3rd jan 2013

Gujarat government is planning to develop the state as a potential medical tourism hub. Principal Secretary (Tourism) Vipul Mitra said the state has best medical facilities and a lot of medical infrastructure is coming up. state has evolved as a tourist destination centre in the last five to six years and insisted that it has got a lot to offer to the tourism industry as a whole varied geographical and ancient architecture, Gujarat is a "complete holiday destination for a family. Mitra hailed the state's association with megastar Amitabh Bachchan as a turning point in the Gujarat's tourism industry.

 He also informed about the upcoming festivals in the state which which will help in promoting the tourism, prominent being the Kite Festival, starting from January 7, which will see around 100 international kite fliers from across the world.

Hospitality sector showed revival in 2012 23rd dec 2012

After reeling under a downturn for almost two years, 2012 was a year that brought a ray of hope for the Indian hospitality industry following rise in foreign tourist arrivals and domestic travellers in large numbers leading global hospitality chains announced big plans for India during the year. InterContinental Hotels Group that has set a target of opening 150 hotels across India by 2020. US-based Starwood Hotels and Resorts is eyeing managing around 100 hotels in India by 2015. Similarly, the Wyndham Hotel Group is planning to open 35 hotels in India over the next five years.

 the domestic players, Lalit Suri Hospitality Group announced an investment of nearly Rs 2,200 crore for expansion in luxury and mid-segment hotels in next five years -- both in India and abroad . Leela Group made public its intention to set up hotels at Jaipur, Agra and Ashtamudi (Kerala) and Bangalore as part of an ongoing expansion in India "The last two years have not been good for the Indian hospitality industry. It is due to the cyclical nature of the business throughout the world but in next three years the industry will recover," Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India ( FHRAI) President Vivek Nair told

 According to the Ministry of Tourism, foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) during the period stood at 58.99 lakh as compared to 55.72 lakh in the year-ago period, a growth of 5.9 per cent. In terms of foreign exchange earnings, it stood at Rs 83,938 crore during January-November 2012 as against Rs 68,721 crore, up 22.1 per cent over the same period in 2011.