Good governance paying back; Bihar welcomed 6 lakhs foreign tourists in 2010

SINCE 2009 BIHAR IS TAKING LEAD OVER GOA
BUDDHIST CIRCUIT MAJOR DRAW

June 9, 2011, Patna: Over six lakh foreign tourists came to Bihar in 2010, an official said here Thursday.

"The number of foreign tourists has increased from 63,321 in 2005-06 to over six lakh in 2010," state Tourism Minister Sunil Kumar Pinto told reporters.

Pinto said the government has decided to focus on tourism sector as it has potential to generate employment to business opportunities for the locals.

Similar data collected by the Union tourism ministry in 2009 found that Bihar attracted a larger number of foreign tourists than Goa.

The government’s India Tourism Statistics report 2009 showed that while 4.2 lakh foreign tourists visited Bihar in 2009, Goa drew about 3.7 lakh losing its place in the top 10 destinations in India. Industry hands say that the economic downturn was largely responsible for the sharp decline in the number of tourists. Increasing number of adverse reports on the safety of women and declining law and order situation may also have been responsible for the drop in numbers. In fact states like Kerala and Rajasthan that have been hot international favourites have suffered the most in 2009 thanks to the global economic situation.