Tourism conference in India hears plea for environment friendly policies

A conference on tourism in the Asia-Pacific region has opened in the north-west Indian state of Rajasthan with an appeal to promote environment -friendly policies.

Nearly three-hundred delegates from the region heard a senior official from Australia the Chairman of the West Australia tourism Commission, Kevin Curtain urge them to maintain a balance between nature and development.

The director-general of tourism in India Ashok Pradhan said an official set of recommendations is being prepared to ensure the environment is well preserved.

Rajasthan receives more than six million tourists a year and numbers are expected to increase by another two million in the next five years.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service