Principal Secretary and Director General of Tourism Navneet Sehgal and Tourism Minister Om Prakash vowed to make U. P. prime tourist destination of India in the near future by improving air connectivity and building more highways. The six-lane Lucknow -Agra Expressway shall be completed by October they assured. President of Uttar Pardesh Hotels and Restaurants Association Surendra Jaiswal urged the government to extend a helping hand to businessmen by cutting clean the red-tape in order to attract them to the tourism sector in a big way

 

 The first –ever Uttar Pradaesh Tourism Day was celebrated with great fanfare in Lucknow and many cities of the state on Valentine’s Day .When cupid struck millions of youngsters and bloomers were being presented with gay abandon by lovers in parks and gardens many multi-colour hot air balloons carrying passengers were sent up in the sky hundreds of feet above Lucknow resembling roseate, blue or dark clouds of fairy land.It was totally a different experience almost like a reverie.

 Lucknow’s Nawabi heritage was mirrored for three days from February 14 to 17 while the Taj Mahotsav was organized in Agra with gusto from February 21 to 24 . In the state capital chief minister Akhilesh Singh Yadav inaugurated the balloon fiesta. Hot air balloon rides were organized from KD Singh Babu stadium, Chowk Stadium, APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University , the Maharishi Vidya Mandir and sprawling Janeshwar Mishra Park

 The Directorate General of Tourism , Uttar Pradesh drew kudos from lakhs of citizens for organizing the first-ever amazing balloon rides as riders saw with awe the city below from an average height of 800 feet with experienced pilots and no life was lost nor was anyone injured

 Due to the initiative of the energetic Principal Secretary and Director General of Tourism Navneet Sehgal and his able lieutenant Joint Director PK Singh many other functions were also organized to attract tourists to the City of Nawabs including a Vintage Car Rally, a heritage photo exhibition, a food festival and the Third Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Festival

 The Vintage Car Rally was flagged off from Paryatan Bhawan (Office of the Directorate-General of Tourism). It was organized by Oudh Heritage Club as part of Tourism Day celebrations. Filmy gigs of car enthusiasts added colour to the event. A song from the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was enacted on old Pontiac Parisienne .The same model of Willy’s Jeep that was driven by Rajesh Khanna on Darjeeling hills also steered on Lucknow roads. Many car buffs were dressed like Bollywood characters. Songs like Ek Ladki Bhigi Bhagi Si, Mere Sapno Ki Rani, Tera Sheeshe Jaisa Rang describing their jaunty jalopies were sung with gay abandon to the merriment of rumbustious crowd of viewers that lined up the famous roads of Lucknow

 The assorted models that participated in the rally included an array of oldies like MGY Sports Saloon, Packard 1947, Fiat Pininfarina Spider, Chevrolet bus, 1952- American Frazer , 1946-Jaguar Baby Austin of 1929 and Humber-12 of the same year.

 More than 30 cars participated in the rally The Pontiac Parisienne that hurtled on the roads of Lucknow was once part of the royal fleet of a Malaysian President.

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