India's G20 presidency: Gujarat's Rann of Kutch to host first Tourism Working Group meet

Ahmedabad, February 3: Gujarat will host India's G20 presidency as a part of Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting in the state's Rann of Kutch from February 7 to 9, on Friday an official said. 

The Union Minister of Tourism G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala, and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will also be attending the inaugural session of the meeting on that will be held on February 8.

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Gujarat will hold the second G20 meet and in that the TWG meeting, which will be attended by Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, will be the second G20 event in Gujarat after the 'Business 20 Inception' programme held in Gandhinagar last month, he further said.

According to the release presented by the Gujarat government on the first day, the delegates will get a chance to visit the White Rann of Kutch. This will then be followed by a cultural programme showcasing the rich heritage of the region. The event will mainly focusing on 'Rural Tourism for Community Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation' will also be held. Union Minister Reddy as well as Sandra Carvao, chief of the Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), among others, will share insights at this event.

"On February 8, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala will inaugurate the TWG. It will be followed by working sessions on five priority issues, namely Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skills, Tourism MSMEs and Destination Management," said the release.

On February 9, the international delegates and participants will have a Yoga session at the White Rann of Kutch which will then be followed by a visit to Dholavira. It is the UNESCO world heritage site from the Harappan civilization.

Later in the event, they will take part in an event 'Promotion of Archaeological Tourism: Discovering Shared Cultural Heritage' where Union Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh and it will deliver the opening remarks and a UNESCO representative will deliver the keynote address, the state government release further informed.

The TWG participants will visit the Smriti Van Memorial, inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August last year in the memory of earthquake victims, on February 10, it added.

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