India has not made much progress in the tourism field over the past decades, although the country has many attractions.
This was stated in New Delhi on April 21 by Dr Karan Singh, who was the first Cabinet Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation in the 1960s.
The former Governor, Ambassador and Member of Parliament was speaking at the launch of ‘All Doors Opened’, the autobiography of Inder Sharma, who headed the SITA World Travel in India and held virtually every tourism post in the world bodies.
Sharma passed away some time ago and family members, friend and admirers spoke glowingly of his role in tourism.
Anil Baijal, Lt Governor Delhi, also traced the role of Sharma in showing concern for community causes.
The business sense, sense of humor and focus on ethics were some other qualities of the iconic leader praised by the speakers.
Sharma headed PATA, WATA, TAAI and built up SITA before selling it in 2000 and going in for real estate and Mall, which, too, has won many awards over the years.
The 284 page book has many photographs, from family and friends, and is sure to be a must read not only for tourism industry but for others as well.
The launch event was attended by virtual who is who of industry leaders and officials, who had interacted with Sharma over the decades.
Much praise was showered on his wife, Dr Aruna, and children–Neeraj and Arjun, who too have carved out a place for themselves.
