Guwahati, Feb. 27: A delegation from Bimstec, or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation, today wrapped up a whirlwind tour of the Northeast with a toast to the potential of tourism in Assam.

Amorntheep Bhatia, a tour operator from Thailand, admitted to thinking that the one-horned rhino was the only tourist attraction of Assam till he arrived in the state.

Echoing the rest of the Bimstec delegation ? comprising representatives of Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh ? Bhatia said the state deserved to be included in Bimstec?s new tourism action plan. ?I knew only about the rhino before coming to Assam. I was surprised by the choices available to tourists.?

A team from the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) accompanied the Bimstec delegation on the tour.

Senior ITDC official Rajib Makin said Bimstec had identified tourism as one of the priority sectors. ?The action plan will be ready in a year?s time and you will notice changes in the tourism scenario soon after,? he said.

Aye Kyaw, the managing director of a Myanmar travel agency, said: ?The product (Northeast) is much beyond our expectations and it only needs vigorous marketing to reap the rewards.?

Assam Tourism made a presentation before the delegates at Kaziranga on Friday.

Bhatia said the government must improve infrastructure before approaching international tour operators. ?Facilities along the highways need improvement.?