Category Archives: States

Assam Tourism Department Corporation (ATDC) has started developing a unique concept of tourism called ‘Tea & Tee’ which clubs tea tourism along with golf tourism. This was revealed by Jayanta Malla Baruah, Chairman, ATDC, on the sidelines of a three-city roadshow that travelled to Ahmedabad, Pune and finally Mumbai. The roadshow was a joint effort between Department of Tourism, Govt of Assam in association with India Tourism, Mumbai (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India). Leading the event was Chandan Brahma, Honourable Tourism Minister, Assam, along with 36 tour operators from Assam who were participating in the roadshow. Elaborating on the new concept, Baruah explains, “Assam is a small state but we have more than 22 golf courses that are world-class with nine-hole and 18-hole courses. If we include the small ones, it is more than 30 golf courses. A lot of these are located inside tea estates that also have tea bungalows that are unique to Assam.” Highlighting the growing numbers to the state, he said that Assam has received more than 60 lakh domestic tourists in 2018-19. FTAs in the same period was around 41,000-plus. “We are expecting to cross 50,000 FTAs this year and at least 70-75K in domestic tourists,” he revealed. According to reports, Assam government has sanctioned INR 300 crore to Assam Tourism in order to promote the state as a world-class tourist destination. Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Assam, tweeted recently to announce its decision and also revealed that the government is brainstorming to host Filmfare Awards in Guwahati for the first time.

Tourism Association of Bihar (TAB) recently celebrated its Foundation day. The event was inaugurated by Y. Nilkantham (Director , India Tourism,  Patna) , Sumit Chatergee (Principle , IHM , Hajipur). Nilkantham shared insight regarding tourist flow in Bihar where he said that by 2020, Bihar will host more foreigners than Goa. He also encouraged the associates of the association to actively participate in programmes organised by India and state tourism . He said, “Two way traffic from other states or from Nepal  should be created to promote Bihar so that adequate revenue could be generated .” The Foundation Day also saw the presence of delegates from Nepal Tourism Board.  

On the sidelines of the ADTOI convention, Aashima Mehrotra, Director, Ministry of Tourism (MOT), Govt. of India, stated “Gujarat remains a great destination for tourism as it offers everything including textiles, architecture, industry and entrepreneurship of people. We have chosen Somnath and Dhaulavera as the iconic sites from Gujarat for holistic development and under ‘Adopt A Heritage: Apni Dharohar Apni Pehchan’ project where different sites of Gujarat have been chosen for development of tourism amenities.” 

The government of Gujarat has plans in place to set up a world-class zoo, spread across 1300 acres, near the Statue of Unity, the 597 ft statue situated over 100 kilometres away from Vadodara. Set to be complete by October 2020, the zoo will have seven levels and a variety of animals including lions, tigers, giraffes, rhinos, and other exotic animals. The Central Zoo Authority is said to have given an in-principle approval to the plan. The zoo, as well as river-rafting facilities, are part of a plan to make Kevadiya, where the statue is situated, a major tourist attraction. The plan is also in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to develop the region as a major tourism hub. (Source: PTI)

Appreciating the theme of the 9th ADTOI Convention which recently took place in Ahmedabad, SJ Haider, IAS, Principal Secretary, Tourism,  Govt. of Gujarat said, “There are countless destinations to see in India as well as Gujarat and ‘Explore India – Experience India’ seems apt theme for this convention.  It is important to be aware of our culture and heritage. Our Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani  has also started the initiative of border tourism. Tourism has a huge socio-economic impact on society. In destinations where economic activity is not possible, tourism can help develop economic activities. A shining example of the same is the Rann Utsav, where there is no other viable economic activity happening and we have been able to develop the same. This has given employment to the local people and improved their financial situations. Even ‘Kite festival’ has been able to generate man days of employment for the local populace. This helps instill a feeling of pride among the people for the border security forces, also instill patriotism.”

The Yogi Adityanath government has planned to set up a development board to promote spiritual tourism in Uttar Pradesh. The state government has already been pushing religious tourism with Deepotsav in Ayodhya, Holi in Barsana and now Janamashtami in Mathura. He also asked travel operators to train local youths to become good guides and service providers in this sector and boost the prospects of tourism development. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh, said, “Uttar Pradesh is a major centre of spiritual tourism, and tourists and pilgrims visit the state in lakhs. The government is going to set up a development board to further improve spiritual tourism in the state.” The state has already developed a ‘Buddhist Circuit’ under which work has been done in Sarnath, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu and Shravasti. Places related to Jainism have also been developed, along with the Ramayana Circuit. “Work is also in progress on linking Uttar Pradesh to Janakpur in Nepal, the birth place of Sita,” Adityanath said. Source: IANS

Scheduled from September 19-22 at Chennai Trade Centre, the upcoming CII Tamil Nadu Travel Mart (TTM) will be putting a new focus on Tamil Nadu. Apurva Varma, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, said, “Last TTM was very successful with the attendance of as many as 250 foreign tour operators, for whom, we also organised Fam trips. This year, we are preparing aggressively for it and want it to make it bigger and better.” S Sundar, Honorary Secretary, Tamil Nadu Travel Mart Society, claims that with this mart Tamil Nadu will be promoted as a leisure destination. “Tamil Nadu has many avenues for leisure as well as wellness, which attract international and domestic travellers. People can also visit for cultural experiences and affordable shopping. Chennai’s image as a gateway to the South has shifted, which we want to re-establish. At TTM, we will be showcasing Chennai’s museums, beaches, food, and nightlife,” he said.

Kerala Tourism has regained the pre-floods tourist footfalls, registering a growth rate of 14.81 per cent in the second quarter of the current year as against the figures of the corresponding period last year. There was an increase of 639,271 tourists (both domestic and foreign) during April-June this year as compared to the figure during the corresponding period in the previous year. In the first quarter (January-March), the total number of tourist arrivals was 46,12,937 as compared to 43,18,406 during the same period in 2018. The number of domestic tourists during the second quarter of 2019 increased to 47,73,739 as compared to the figures of 41,49,122 during the same period a year earlier, clocking a hefty  15.05 per cent growth rate. Particularly satisfying for Kerala Tourism was the fact that it bucked the negative trend in foreign tourist arrivals in the aftermath of last year’s calamitous floods, attracting 182,320 visitors from abroad in the second quarter of the ongoing year — a growth rate of 8.74 per cent as compared to the same period in the previous year. The total number of arrivals from abroad was 167,666 during April-June 2018. Of the 14 districts in Kerala, Ernakulam registered the highest increase in footfalls with an increase of 1.71 lakh, followed by Idukki with 1.35 lakh. The total number of visitors in Ernakulam was 10,70,613 as against 8,98,784 in the second quarter of 2018 while the figures for Idukki were 5,27,311 and 3,91,674, respectively. Except Kollam and Thrissur, all the other districts showed positive growth rates in tourist arrivals. As for domestic tourists, the number went up by 6,24,617 when compared with the figures of corresponding period in the previous year – an increase …

Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, recently stated that the Central government has earmarked Rs 70 crore for development of beach tourism in the Union Territory. The seven villages being developed under the Centrally-sponsored ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme are Kalapet, Chinnaveerampattinam, Chunnambar, Manapet, Narambai, Dubrayapet, and Arikamedu. The programme includes several projects such as restoration, conservation, and illumination of heritage structures; revitalisation of parks; online tourist statistic information system, etc. Bedi also emphasised on the need for comprehensive planning in the villages, which could include solar lighting, rainwater harvesting, waste water treatment, beach sanitation, and landscaping along with parking slots.

The government announced that Jammu and Kashmir would be a UT with a Legislature while the Ladakh region will be a separate UT without a legislature. Talking about its impact on tourism, Parvez Dewan, Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, says, “I don’t think tourism will get affected post this decision. The unrest or security issue is very temporary, and in the long run tourism will not be affected because these UTs will remain next to each other. Since 1994-95, a certain number of Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims have always gone to Kashmir after the Darshan. Around 34 per cent of foreign tourists visiting Ladakh do it in combination with Kashmir and around 66 per cent might only go to Ladakh. Similarly, a certain percentage always do Jammu and Kashmir together, and that will continue.”