Mehra said hospitality and tourism industry has good scope for growth in the country as well as in the city. He expressed his willingness to work for the improvement of the tourism and hospitality sector in the city.

He asked the UT’s tourism and hotels associations to come together to discuss the ways to improve the state of tourism in the city.

Mehra distributed mementos to the various officials and NGOs, who have contributed significantly into the functioning of the STEPS. The Director of Tourism and STEPS CEO, Vivek Atray, spoke about various activities, aims and achievements of the STEPS. He also briefed about the upcoming Chandigarh International Film Festival.

Last year, STEPS had organised many events to promote Chandigarh as a major tourism and entertainment centre. Such events included City Song Competition, photography exhibition called Chandigarh in Monsoon and Chandigarh in April, Harry Potter event, Delhi Symphony Orchestra, Corporate Quiz, Shopping Festival, World Tourism Day, opening of info helpline to facilitate tourists, Chandigarh Heritage Festival, North India Tourism Conclave, open quiz contests , live performance by Shubha Mudgal, performance by Devayani and Hungarian Film Festival.

The society was set up to promote tourism and entertainment in UT, in accordance with the policies and action plans of the administration.