India’s Minister of Tourism, Sultan Ahmad, is in Dubai promoting tourism in India and seeking investors from Dubai. The Minister opened an exhibition promoting the country’s tourism industry. The Indian government is attempting to deliver 100,000 new hotel rooms to meet demand, and expects the UAE to be a partner in developing its tourist infrastructure.
Minister Ahmad said “The number of classified hotels in India has already reached 600, with capacity exceeding 75,000 already.” He said the UAE investors could partner with India to invest “in our infrastructure and help deliver hotel capacity.” According to the Indian tourism office in Dubai, the Indian travel market will reach $26.1 billion by 2010.