Civil aviation minister Shahnawaz Hussain will lead a delegation to the United Arab Emirates to market Indian tourism destinations and attract tourists from the Gulf who have so far made the west their favourite holiday haunt. The 16-member delegation, which would include Maharashtra's deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal and Karnataka tourism minister R Roshan Beg besides top officials and travel trade representatives, would travel to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Bahrain during their five-day trip. After the September 11 strikes, tourists from the Gulf and West Asia were facing problems in visiting destinations in the US and Europe and hence looking for alternative markets, official sources said. The primary aim of the delegation was to market Indian destinations in the UAE to this large section of tourists, they said.
A meeting between Hussain and Sheikh Ahmed, Dubai's civil aviation minister, is also likely during the visit, they added.

Bureau Report