Sunil Kumar Pintu inaugurates Cox and Kings outlet at Hem Plaza in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, March 9: Cox & Kings Limited, a travel company, opened its first outlet in the state in Hem Plaza on Frazer Road.

At the opening, tourism minister Sunil Kumar Pintu said the state had shown immense potential for tourism.

Talking about wider possibilities in the field of tourism, Pintu said: “The Nitish Kumar government has created a sense of peace and harmony and this is the reason even international companies are coming to the state. Earlier, it was not possible because there was a feeling of insecurity among the foreign companies.

He added: “The opening of this travel company in Bihar will provide better opportunities for people who love to visit foreign countries. It would be a big milestone in the field of tourism in the state. Places like Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Pawapuri, Nalanda, Vaishali and other historical monuments will bring in foreign tourists.”

When The Telegraph asked about further initiatives by the state government to promote tourism, the minister said: “There is a lack of hotels in the state. Apart from Maurya and Chanakya, there are no good hotels. The government has decided to open two five-star hotels, one in Patna and the other in Rajgir. The proposal will be discussed in the ongoing Assembly session before Holi.”

Shailesh Kumar, the owner of the outlet, said: “Tourism in Bihar has recently been given industry status and the state government has initiated a number of measures to woo foreign tourist. In fact, according to the data collected by the Union tourism ministry, the number of tourist to the state has grown in the recent years. The government’s India tourism statistics report shows approximately 4.2 lakh foreign tourists had visited Bihar in 2009.”

Kumar added: “We will handle trips to Europe, USA, Australia, Egypt, South Korea, Kenya, Turkey, Dubai and Mauritius besides domestic destinations. Bihar is emerging as a state full of potential and this is the reason we have come here to do business.”

Our company has full trust in the state. People from Bihar have good money and every month thousands of people are going on tours abroad. The other travel companies are doing brisk business, then why not us?”