SIA pitches in for Gujarat tourism

AHMEDABAD: There could finally be some hope for destination Gujarat, courtesy Singapore Airlines.
What the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL) and the state government couldn''t do over the years and more recently through events like Vibrant Gujarat and Kite festival, SIA proposes to achieve.
All set to become the first international airline to fly from Gujarat with direct Ahmedabad-Singapore flights from July 28, 2004, SIA plans to join hands with Gujarat''s tourism department to pitch the state as a destination for the foreign traveller.
"The Gujarat government has indicated, in-principle, that it is open to the idea. We intend to bring travel agents from across the world to showcase Gujarat so that they can sell it as a destination in their markets," B K Ong, general manager-India, SIA, told newspersons.
"We are very optimistic about Gujarat as a potential in-bound destination and hope to have detailed discussions with the government to come up with a plan soon," he said.
According to Ong, Gujarat would appeal not only to those looking for heritage tourism, but also adventure and eco-tourism thanks various sanctuaries like Nalsarovar and Gir.
It also has a rich cultural heritage and can be pushed as a religious tourism destination through fairs and festivals like Navratri and the kite festival.
Explaining SIA''s enthusiasm on this front, Ong pointed out that it would be beneficial for the airline as well because just grabbing outbound traffic was not important. "We want to ensure sizeable in-bound traffic, too, to make operations viable," he elaborated.
Ong was in Ahmedabad to announce SIA''s direct tri-weekly flights between Ahmedabad and Singapore, making Ahmedabad the sixth Indian destination to be catered to by SIA after Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore and the ninth taking into account SIA subsidiary SilkAir''s operations to Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Kochi.
SIA will operate flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from Ahmedabad with special fares of Rs 17,204 per person (two-way) till August end and regular fares of Rs 23,045 per head from September onwards.
While SIA will operate Boeing B777-200 aircraft with a capacity of 323 seats, including 30 in the business class, it will also offer cargo services to Gujarat trade and industry.
Talking about SIA''s decision to enter Gujarat, he pointed out the state had very strong economic indicators and potential for further growth.
"Gujarat''s economic growth at 8.3 per cent is comparable to many ASEAN economies, it accounts for 13 per cent of India''s industrial output, contributes 6 per cent to India''s GDP, has 21 per cent share of total Indian exports with a 10 per cent growth in foreign trade," Ong explained.
"The operation to Ahmedabad will bring about better connectivity into Western India as it is a natural gateway to South Rajasthan and Western Madhya Pradesh. This would lead to growth in business travellers and tourism, both inbound and outbound," he added.