The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mangaluru, has written to External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar requesting him to add Mangaluru in the list of host cities for G-20 meetings.
In his January 20, 2023, letter to the Minister, the president of the KCCI M. Ganesh Kamath said that the chamber, on behalf of Mangaluru, would like to invite the government to host the upcoming G-20 meetings in the coastal city.
He said: “...With several national-level conferences and meetings held in the past, Mangaluru, with facilities of international standard like TMA Pai International Convention Centre, is well-equipped to host such mega events. Mangaluru has played host to umpteen national-level medical/paramedical conferences in the past. We have had the pleasure of hosting the international surfing festival, international kite festival, river festivals, etc. each seeing footfall of close to 35,000. Our city also has excellent connectivity to other cities through rail, road and air.”
“With a good number of hotels across all categories that can accommodate large delegations and great connectivity to the city, Mangaluru can undoubtedly be considered as one of the destinations for the upcoming G-20 meeting and we can assure you that the experience is going to be a memorable and an enriching one for the delegation.”
The letter said that Mangaluru is one of the fastest growing non-metro cities in South India, and has a history of various industries and businesses. It is also the birth place of four of the five nationalized banks in the country and is known for housing traditional businesses like spices, dry fruits, tiles, fisheries, etc. There are more than 10,000 people working in the IT/ITES industry in the region, thus positioning Mangaluru as the next IT/ITES destination in Karnataka after Bengaluru. It has the highest literacy rate in the State and is a much sought after destination for education. “We have 22 engineering colleges in and around the city, and they collectively produce 10,000-12,000 engineers every year. Our city is well known for health care – both in terms of medical education institutions and facilities. Citizens from abroad, especially from the Middle East, Sri Lanka and Maldives visit Mangaluru for advanced medical treatment and operations as the quality of health care is very good and affordable,” the president said.
The KCCI said that Mangalore Port has been handling cruise ships attracting over 40,000 foreign tourists every year apart from other foreign tourists and Indians visiting Mangaluru round the year. Cashewnut export has been one of the major exports from Mangaluru to all over the world specially to European countries and the U.S.
