But with election fever hitting India, a few of them are prepared to forgo some of that - and the elephant ride - to meet an election candidate or attend a political rally. Some Indian tour companies are courting international visitors with week-long 'election tourism' packages that would try to combine some traditional sightseeing with access to political campaigning. "The Indian election is like a festival," founder of Election Tourism India and Chairman of Gujarat Tourism Corporation Society Manish Sharma told Reuters. The Ahmedabad-Gujarat based Election Tourism India, which works with more than 35 tour companies across India, has received nearly 3,500 bookings for election packages from outside India, he said. The packages consist of popular tourist destinations, political rallies and interactions with election candidates and other local politicians.

Source: bd News24 March 25, 2019 12:33 UTC