A meeting on tourism development in Dakshina Kannada district has stressed on the need for marketing coastal Karnataka as a tourism destination.

JR Lobo, MLA of Mangalore (South), said coastal Karnataka should be marketed as a tourism destination the way Bangalore was developed as an IT destination.

The Karnataka Government has to give more thrust on developing coastal tourism, and a dedicated cell should be formed for this purpose.

Lobo said that the Coastal Development Authority, set up by the State Government, should take active role in the development of tourism in the region.

Yatish Baikampady, CEO of Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project, focussed on the need to set short-term, medium-term and long-term goals for the comprehensive development of tourism in coastal Karnataka.

Giving the examples of various activities of tourism attraction and festivals in the region, he said there is a need to come out with a calendar of events to popularise them to the world.

AB Ibrahim, Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, urged the stakeholders to come out with concept papers on the development of tourism, and present them in the next meeting of tourism development committee of the district.

U. Jithendranath, Assistant Director of Karnataka Tourism Department, said that 36 works related to tourism development have been sanctioned to the district. Of them, 10 works have already been completed. Another 14 works are in various stages of implementation, and 12 projects are yet to be taken up, he said.

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