Development of tourism infrastructure and sustainable tourism will be the focus of a national conference of tourism ministers from various states and Union Territories that is set to open on Sunday in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala.

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy will chair the event which is slated to be inaugurated by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.?The conference is being organised by the Ministry of Tourism from September 18-20 to discuss issues related to development of tourism in the country, officials said.

Tourism-related aspects of the G20 leaders' summit, that will be hosted by India next year, will also be discussed, they said. India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings during its year-long Presidency of the influential group, which will culminate with an annual summit on September 9 and 10 next year.

India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023.

The conference in Dharamshala will be attended by central ministers, tourism ministers from various states and UTs, governors, administrators and seniors officials of the central government, state governments and heads of tourism and hospitality associations, the Tourism Ministry said in a statement.

"The event would be attended by tourism ministers of several states and UTs, including Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Haryana, Sikkim, Goa, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Ladakh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra etc. The conference is expected to be attended by approximately 250 delegates," it said.

The event will focus on various policies and programmes of the Ministry of Tourism including the development of tourism infrastructure, cultural, spiritual and heritage tourism, tourism in the Himalayan states, and responsible and sustainable tourism, the officials said.

Role of digital technology for marketing and promotion of tourism destinations, emerging importance of homestays in the Indian hospitality sector, ayurveda, wellness, medical value travel and promotion of domestic tourism will also be discussed, they said.

Other issues such as wildlife tourism, tourism-related aspects of the G-20 event will also be discussed, along with the review of the implementation of various projects implemented by the ministry, the officials said.?

(With PTI Inputs)