London, Nov 12 Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said on Thursday that the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi provides an opportunity to India to emerge as a unique and hospitable tourism destination.

Addressing the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) summit here, Selja said: "The Commonwealth Games have given an opportunity for showcasing India as a unique and hospitable tourism destination. It is expected that a large number of tourists would visit the country next year, bringing back the buoyancy in the sector."

She said, her ministry has been working towards developing adequate accommodation, sprucing up the tourism infrastructure and enhancing the quality of hospitality related services to make the visit a truly pleasurable and enriching experience for visitors during and after the CWG-2010.

"The goodwill generated through the successful organization of this mega sporting event would enable a sustainable growth of tourism sector," Selja added.

The minister expressed concern about the recession's cascading effect on the tourism sector. She also highlighted major initiatives undertaken by India to meet these challenges.

Selja said promotional efforts in key source markets have been enhanced through important global events, road shows and outdoor advertising campaigns.

"India is also making conscious efforts to develop emerging short and medium haul markets and for this, development and promotion of the Buddhist circuits is carried out," she said. (ANI)