Tourism Department plans major convention centre at Devanahalli

Tourism Department plans major convention centre at Devanahalli

The Hindu

The project is aimed at attracting the big names in the corporate world

# The centre will have a seating capacity of 5,000
# The boarding accommodation will be for 3,000 people

BANGALORE: To attract international tourists and create a "brand" for Bangalore, the Department of Tourism is planning to build an international convention centre near the International Airport in Devanahalli.

This centre, with a seating capacity of 5,000 and hotel accommodation for 3,000 tourists, has been planned to attract the corporate world and promote meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, Tourism Commissioner G. Kumar Naik said here on Wednesday.

Mr. Naik told The Hindu that tenders for the centre had been called and several big construction companies had applied. "We will soon evaluate the tenders and finalise the work orders," he said.

He said the department was working out strategies to promote medical tourism in a big way. The construction industry, hospitality sector and medical fraternity would work together for this project. Private hoteliers, travel agents, 13 star hotels and companies such as Tata, Reliance, and L and T had already signed for this programme, he said.

The department had tied-up with international brands such as Hilton, Taj, Intercontinental and a few leading European hotels and brands as well, Mr. Naik said.