New Delhi, Aug 19 - Tourist spots should be kept clean and drivers, waiters and cooks should be trained to ensure that travellers make repeated visits to popular hotspots like the Taj Mahal city of Agra, Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said here Wednesday.
'Public awareness campaign about cleanliness must be started in places like Agra where tourists come in large numbers,' Selja said when Uttar Pradesh Tourism Minister Vinod Singh met her here to discuss tourism-related projects.
Stressing the need to 'provide cleanliness and a hygienic atmosphere at tourist spots in the state', she said these are ways the state could get more repeat visitors.
To keep the city clean, she suggested that state authorities involve the corporate sector's help in generating public awareness.
The Taj Mahal, the 17th century monument to love built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, is one of the most popular tourist spots, attracting over 2.5 million visitors a year.
According to 2006 figures of the tourism ministry, the marble monument that is listed among the seven wonders of the world was visited by an estimated 2,048,120 domestic and 491,351 foreign tourists.