GUWAHATI, Dec 24 - Donning the role of the brand ambassador of Assam Tourism, Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra today vowed to promote Assam in the global arena as well as to explore the State deeper in the days to come.
Having the Quantico star on board for the next two years, the State Government also plans to increase the tourism budget to a whooping Rs 450 crore from the next fiscal, from the current Rs 100 crore. The government would also launch a full-scale campaign promoting ‘Awesome Assam’ from April next year, in which Priyanka would be shooting in different tourist destinations of the
Taking charge as the brand ambassador here today and addressing a meet of tour operators and other stakeholders of the tourism industry, Priyanka said that she took incredible pride in becoming the brand ambassador of Assam and would do her best to promote the rich heritage, culture, wildlife and biodiversity of the State.
“I may not be from this part of the country but I have a deep NE connection due to my film Mary Kom and also because I have been to Guwahati many times during my Miss India days and even prior to that. Apart from all the major tourist attractions the State has, it is the soulful inner beauty and the grace of Assam which makes the State stand apart,” she said.
She also visited the Kamakhya temple along with her family seeking the blessings of the Mother Goddess and met Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
The Chief Minister thanked Priyanka for accepting the proposal for becoming the brand ambassador and said her aura and clout will bring rich dividend to the State tourism.
Sonowal also highlighted the beautiful landscape, wildlife potential and rich cultural and traditional resources of Assam and requested her to highlight them in her promotional campaign.
Sonowal also informed her about the factors adversely affecting tourism in Assam. “The campaign should counter the age-old negative publicity of the State and changing the mindset of the people,” the Chief Minister stressed.
Sonowal also praised the actress for her scintillating performance in the movie Mary Kom and said her vitality and vigour will do wonders for Assam tourism.
State Tourism Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, asserting that terrorism no longer hampers the growth of tourism in State, stated that Assam bade goodbye to terrorism long back and specifically no tourists have been harmed due to terrorism.
The minister stated that the campaign would mainly concentrate on promoting the unexplored sides of tourism within the country and also internationally in a major way.
“The new tourism policy is on the anvil, and we are offering some lucrative concessions to Bollywood for shooting films in Assam. A major thrust is also on creating the necessary infrastructure to boost tourism,” he added.
Assam is giving more emphasis on promoting tourism in the countries like UK, Japan and South East Asia, with which it shares a historic connection. With a catchline, ‘Come, rediscover yourself’ the State is eyeing the tourist inflow from the US and Germany, which are among the largest markets searching for tourism potential in Assam online.
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