Lucknow :  The Uttar Pradesh and the central governments Saturday announced their "serious willingness" to undertake a host of measures to shore up tourism in the state.

Addressing a joint press conference after an exhaustive meeting between the officials of both the governments, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay said that a concerted effort would be made to develop key areas like Sufi circuit, Buddhist Circuit and Hindu circuit.

Lauding the state government for trying to promote tourism and integrating it with a political and economic will, Sahay said he was happy and optimistic that tourism would get a philip in the times to come as the chief minister himself held this portfolio.

He added that both the governments would devise means and ways to "hold the tourists" in the state so that the state gains economically too. Efforts, Sahay said, would also be undertaken to revive the lost glory of the nights of Avadh.

Flanked by eminent film-maker Muzaffar Ali, the union tourism minister said the government would develop and promote tourism on a public-private partnership model. Akhilesh Yadav added that his government was closely working with the central government on policies and efforts to promote tourism in the state.

Adding that the state was very rich culturally, he said though the state held heritage places and monuments like the Taj Mahal, Sarnath, Ayodhya, Allahabad and Varanasi, successive governments had failed to promote the tourism sector in the way it should have been.