Gujarat Tourism, which is holding the 22nd international kite festival between January 10 and 14, said that it has lined up Rs 5,500 crore to ramp up the infrastructure of 37 projects in the next two years.

"We have got Rs 5,500 crore budget allocation to develop our infrastructure in next two years for 37 projects. These include an artificial lake at Saputara and developing a Buddhist circuit in the state," said Tourism Corporation of Gujarat (TCGL) Chairman Kamlesh Patel.

TCGL is also spending another Rs 170 to develop 14 new beach resorts in the state by June this year, he said adding, "The work is already in progress and we are hoping to develop these beaches by June 2012."

The state, which saw around 2 crore tourists in FY11, expects over 2.25 crore visitors, including foreign and domestic travellers, in FY12, he said. "Overall, we are expecting more than 2.92 crore visitors, a growth of 30 per cent, to the state in FY13. Among the overseas visitors, we expect a growth of 17-22 per cent during the next fiscal," he said.

People from eight states and 23 countries are going to participate in the International Kite Festival this month. When asked if the state tourism sector will face a negative impact due to the global economic crisis, Patel said, that since Gujarat is mostly visited by tourists from the US and Asia, it would not be much affected.

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