India Tourism & Tours Industry is Gearing Up for Commonwealth Games 2010

2009-09-10 11:51:49 - The Commonwealth Games 2010 will be held at New Delhi, the Capital of India. Delhi is a modern metropolis that has hosted Asian Games twice before – in 1951 and in 1982.

After nearly three decades, it will host the prestigious sports event in October next year. The prospects of international travelers and tourists who will come to India during the period is already keeping India tourism and hospitality industry with its allied sectors on toes.

Besides those who will come here to participate and watch the sports events held here, experts in tourism industry bet that other tourists will also pre-pone and postpone their visit to India to coincide with the Commonwealth Games so that they can optimize their tour experience. Hospitality, aviation and hotel industries in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) are developing their infrastructure, improving their service quality and facilities, and promoting their brands at a record pitch. Tour operators and hotel booking agents expect a sharp rise in the sale of Golden Triangle tours, Rajasthan Tours, and North India tours too.

Other major tourist attractions of India that include Taj-fame Agra, Jaipur, Mumbai, Goa, Bengaluru, and Cochin are also preparing for the influx of tourists during Commonwealth Games. Commonwealth Games 2010 are also being seen as a grand opportunity for promoting India Tours among international tourists. Government is going through all possible antics to project an image of clean, green, safe and friendly India that is easily accessible by world-class transport systems.

Rich historical architecture and cultural diversity of Delhi sets an ideal base to arouse curiosity in tourists about the splendor and opulence that lies in the royal forts and palaces of Rajasthan. Rajputs of Rajasthan were either friends or foes of great Mughals who dominated Agra, Delhi and surrounding areas. The most lavish palaces can be seen in the princely states that chose to have friendly ties with Mughals but most legendary forts can be found in the regions where bloody battles were fought and Rajputs refused to let Mughals enter their territory.

India Travel agencies are preparing specialized tour packages for the Commonwealth Games of 2010 that feature quick-to-reach destinations such as Taj Mahal, Khajuraho Temples, Golden Temple of Amritsar, Ranthambore and Corbett National Parks and Tiger Reserves, and idyllic mountain resorts like Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital, and Manali in Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.

With high hopes set on 2010 Commonwealth Games, India tourism industry is also preparing itself to cash the opportunity to promote lesser-known tourist destinations such as Northeast Vacations, Virgin Islands of Andaman and Nicobar, Monasteries of Leh and Ladakh, and Pilgrimage Tours that offer true taste of culture and traditions in India.

Travel experts say that since the sports event is to be held in October, it gives an excellent opportunity to tourism industry to prop up its Fairs and Festivals Tours. October and November is the time of festivities in India. Pushkar Fair Tours, Durgapuja and Diwali Tours, Mysore Dussehra Tours, and several other such packages will be able to attract foreign visitors to India by offering them an opportunity to share the colorful and musical celebrations of Indian festivals and observe the traditions and lifestyle of people from close.


Soruce:http://www.pr-inside.com/india-tourism-tours-industry-is-r1474042.htm

IWF warns of lesser medals in CWG

NEW DELHI: Indian Weightlifting Federation has warned that the country might end up with very few medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games as the lifters are training without basic equipment, food supplements and enough coaches due to Sports Ministry's apathy.

IWF General Secretary Baldev Raj Gulati said the lifters have been facing problems galore at the two training centres - Bangalore SAI Centre and Army Sports Institute Pune -- as they lack even the bare necessities for training.

The core group athletes were selected for intensive training of at least 20 months to get maximum medals in the Games to be hosted by the national capital.

Weightlifters had accounted for a major chunk of medals in the last two Commonwealth Games (27 out of 69 in Manchester and nine out of 50 in Melbourne).

"Weightlifting accounts for a major share of medals in the Commonwealth Games but SAI and Sports Ministry have not provided enough basic equipments or food supplements. We are also finding it difficult to get the recommended number of coaches because they are not being given lucrative money for the one and half years of assignment," Gulati said.

Gulati was at loss of words to explain why the Ministry did not provide even enough barbells, a basic necessity for training.

He said the IWF had to borrow them from the state associations and the two training centres leading to "irrational" training schedules, which increase the risk of injury to the lifters.

"We don't even have the required number of barbells. We have to borrow them from the state associations or use them from the ASI. Normally, the lifters train in two sessions everyday. in morning and evening.

"Now, they have to train in five shifts in batches due to lack of barbells. They have to train at a time they should be resting because we cannot disturb the training schedule of the ASI athletes," he said.

"So the training schedule has become totally irrational besides this increasing the risk of injury to the lifters. This could seriously impact on the performance of the lifters in the Games. This is true for other sports also but the officials do not want to speak out," he added.

Another cause of concern, Gulati said, was that the lifters have been training without food supplements for the last four months.

"The SAI is struggling in chalking out the modalities and the type of food supplements for the lifters. They are yet to form a committee to do that.

"These supplements have been made mandatory by the Sports Ministry's own steering Committee. The lifters have been training for the last four months
at tremendous risk. The Ministry's own medical team has warned of a possibility of injuries due to lack of required supplements," Gulati said.

"We have been sending reminders but SAI has been taking its own time," he added.

Moreover, the technical equipment required for performance analysis, which has been sanctioned by the ministry, has not been procured till now despite a new coach, Hungarian Imre Zsuga, taking charge.

Another grievance of the federation was the government's reluctance to bear the cost of a touring manager in foreign competitions despite clear guidelines of Sports Ministry.

"The Ministry uses dubious tactics to ensure that it does not bear the cost of a manager on foreign competitions despite a clear guideline approved by its own steering committee. They want the coach to do the job of manager which is simply not possible," Gulati said.

"The Ministry clears the manager at no cost to government four or five days before the departure of the team which leaves very little time for the federation to protest and approach them. Many a times, a manager had to go on his/her own expense," Gulati said.

"Moreover, the usual practice of the Ministry taking a long time to reimburse the federation of the expenses incurred in foreign competitions has left federations like IWF to pay interests for long time on money borrowed from external sources," Gulati said.

He said the Ministry is yet to reimburse around Rs 13 lakh spent by IWF in the Asian Senior Championships in Kazakhstan (May 9-16) and Rs 9 lakh for the Youth World Championships in Thailand (May 19-24).

"The ministry gives clearance for visa four or five days before departure of the team but not the financial clearance which means the federation has to borrow from external sources at market rates of interests and while reimbursing the government takes its own time," he claimed.

Soruce:TOI

2010 Commonwealth Games

The 2010 Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in Delhi, India between 3 October and 14 October 2010. With a population of over 15 million, Delhi is one of the largest cities in the world. This will be the largest multi-sport event conducted to date in Delhi and India generally, which has previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.

This is the first time the Commonwealth Games will be held in India, which will be the third developing country to host the event (after Jamaica in 1966 and Malaysia in 1998). This is the second time the event has been held in Asia (after 1998).

In January 2005, the Commonwealth Games Federation vice-president Raja Randhir Singh expressed concern that Delhi was behind schedule in forming an organising committee. On 18 January 2008, however, the Commonwealth Games Federation expressed its approval of Delhi's progress.

In addition to the Commonwealth Games, the city of Pune, India hosted the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games between October 12 and 18, 2008. The Youth Games offered nine sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

In Montego Bay, Jamaica on 13 November 2003, the Commonwealth Games Federation voted on the location of the 2010 Games. In a 46 to 22 vote by the CGF General Assembly, Delhi defeated the Canadian city of Hamilton and won the right to host the 2010 Games. India's Sports Minister will head the apex committee for conducting the games while the Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi will head the organising committee. The Games will be held from the 3rd to 14 October 2010.

The logo for the 2010 Commonwealth Games was revealed on 6 January 2008 at an event taking place at the India Gate. The logo is inspired by the Ashoka Chakra, a symbol of freedom, unity, and power. Its spiraling upwards symbolizes India's rise as a global power and its transition from tradition to modernity. The colours symbolize India's vibrant and diverse culture and people, and each part of the logo symbolizes India welcoming the 71 Commonwealth nations and territories