This November, the Capital will host the “Delhi Festival”, on the lines of similar international festivals held in Dubai and Singapore.
Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said on Wednesday that the “mega international” festival will showcase Delhi’s culture and heritage, apart from providing a world class shopping experience to tourists.
“We are in touch with major agencies that have been doing such festivals in other parts of the world,” Mr. Mishra said, while speaking at the annual conference of the Confederation of Indian Industry on Thursday.
Mr. Mishra also said the Delhi government will start an aggressive initiative from August on creating “Brand Delhi”, which will include appointing a brand ambassador, launching a television campaign, coming up with a punch line, etc. He said the campaign will find a mention in the upcoming Delhi Budget.
He also announced that the Delhi government is going to come up with two exclusive venues for organising cultural events in the city.
“I saw Zubin Mehta performing at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and it didn’t look good. We should have exclusive venues for such events,” he said.
He also mentioned that the cost of creating two venues will be taken care of in the Budget. “Delhi has everything that makes it a world class tourist destination, it’s not about making it a world class city but managing it, publicising it. It is about letting people know and providing them a world class experience when they are here.”
“People are going to Jaipur and Agra because they don’t know what all is happening here. It is good going to a monument but then what? That is why we are planning more events,” he said.
He also said that the Delhi government is going to rationalise the luxury tax in the upcoming budget to address the concerns of the industry.
