By IANS
Kuala Lumpur : Southern Indian states want to partner with Malaysia in creating a ‘southern circuit’ to attract more tourists, especially from Southeast Asia.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) wants to tap Malaysian tourism promotion expertise, Tamil language daily Tamil Nesan reported here.
The governments of four south Indian states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu – and the union territory of Pondicherry are planning to jointly promote the region as an ideal package for tourists.
The idea is to create a ‘southern circuit’ similar to the northern Indian ‘Golden Triangle’ comprising Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.
The four states and Pondicherry signed a joint declaration with CII last August and want Malaysia to be a partner, The Star reported Wednesday.
CII’s Hospitality and Tourism Subcommittee chairman Navas Meeran said Malaysia had done a phenomenal job in terms of tourism.
Besides replicating the Malaysian model, Meeran said, a partnership would help boost tourism between both countries, especially in increasing tourist traffic between southern India and Malaysia.
Last year, almost 400,000 Indians visited Malaysia and up till September spent Ringgit 724.7 million (about $220 million).
The aim of the southern Indian grid is to promote the region, which is home to nearly 230 million people and has numerous cultural, architectural and natural marvels, Meeran said.