“This is evident from the more than two million visitors to the state last year. In fact, Kashmir is paradise on earth and can be visited around the year,” he told a press conference at Jeddah’s Movenpick Hotel.

The hotel was the venue for a road show on “Incredible India” organized by Indian tourism ministry, in collaboration with Consulate General of India.

The event showcased the country as one of the major tourist destinations in the world as acknowledged by World Travel and Tourism Council.

India’s federal Tourism Ministry’s Secretary R.H. Khwaja said the government had decided in principle to open a tourism representative office in the Kingdom.

The modalities are being worked out and it should be established in due course, he said. He added that India had emerged as a preferred destination, particularly its southern state of Kerala, for Saudi families who opt to visit it for medical tourism.

“The country’s unique palace and heritage hotels, luxury spas and tourist trains, Kerala backwaters, golden beaches of Goa, hill stations and the Taj Mahal in Agra are among the many favorite tourist spots, in addition to soft adventure, wildlife and shopping. Tourism in and around Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai is equally popular, and there is a sustained move to improve the tourist infrastructure across the length and breadth of India,” he said.

India is rich in tourism and culture with its around the year festivals in some part of the country or the other, he added.

A special dedicated section to promote tourist traffic is being opened at the Consulate General of India, Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai said.

“We are working on it and it should come up within a month,” he told Arab News. He told a questioner that there were no hassles in granting visas by India to overseas tourists including Pakistanis.

“As per the government requirement, each such applicant is referred to the federal home ministry in New Delhi. In the absence of any response (from New Delhi) in a month’s time, we are free to use our discretionary powers,” Kidwai added.

Visitors to the road show, the third such event in the Kingdom after Dammam and Riyadh, got a chance to have firsthand information about the range of tourist hotspots in India known the world over for its exotic locations and medical tourism.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators along with experts from reputable hospitals, institutes and hospitality industry as well as high dignitaries and senior officials from different parts of India took part in the show.