Kumari Selja, Union Tourism Minister, India urged members of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) to concentrate on youth segment in order to build up domestic tourism in the country. Selja was delivering a speech at the inauguration function of the fourth annual convention of ADTOI at Hotel Ashok, New Delhi yesterday. The convention was inaugurated by Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Jammu & Kashmir.

Selja said, “The domestic tourism segment has huge potential. Domestic travel trade should target youths studying in universities and other educational institutions for promoting domestic tourism in a better way as it is the backbone of the travel and tourism industry in India. In 2008, India received around 563 million domestic tourists.” While appreciating the theme ‘Domestic Tourism: The Foundation of Incredible India’ Selja said that this convention provides a greater platform for domestic travel trade to interact with each other and evolve strategies for promoting domestic tourism.