Tourism minister Kumari Selja said terror threats would not deter tourist arrivals ahead of the Delhi Commonwealth Games this October.
Pointing out that threats from terrorism were now a global phenomenon, Ms Selja said the government and tourism industry were gearing up to welcome sports tourists both from overseas and within India.
“I do not believe terrorist threats would deter people from arriving in Delhi,” she told reporters in Chandigarh.
Allaying fears among fans planning on travelling to Delhi to witness the Games the minister said, “India is fully equipped to tackle any contingency situation. We will have world-class security arrangements during the games and there is no need for worry.”
Also confident that Delhi would fully live up to the tradition of hospitality, Ms Selja said government has been running soft skill training programs for the city’s cabbies, autorickshaw wallahs, hotel and restaurant workers and other tourism service providers.”
The aim, tourism minister Ms Kumari Selja said, was to ascertain higher levels of efficiency alongside courtesy.
The tourism ministry is also overseeing the preparation of several thousand additional rooms to comfortably accommodate the expected rush of sports tourists this October.