Karnataka in the fourth position and Odisha in the ninth position are the only Indian places to figure in the list of eleven. Iran tops the list of the must-travel destinations for the year followed by Botswana, Tasmania (Australia), Karnataka, Myanmar, Seoul (South Korea), Tel Aviv (Israel), Tallinn (Estonia), Odisha, Sri Lanka and Uruguay.
Director of Tourism Vishwanatha K Reddy said that this was the best possible exposure for Karnataka tourism and would help enormously in making the State a visible brand name in the international tourism sector in the coming years.
The Traveller piece recommends Karnataka for its palaces, tiger-spotting at unspoilt sanctuaries like Bandipur, the rapids of Coorg with the homestay experience along with the specially brewed coffee and of course the temples of Belur and Halebeedu.
The Tourism Department has been aggressively promoting the State in the international circles for the last three years by participating in trade fairs and road shows. This includes almost all European capitals and Argentina, Brazil, China, UAE and Japan. Reddy said they expected a big leap in tourists and the results of the promotions could be seen in a couple of years.
Published 03 February 2011, 17:23 IST