The third edition of Gujarat Travel Mart organised at Mahatma Mandir Convention & Exhibition Centre in Gandhi Nagar saw a large contingent of hosted international buyers and media who were keen to know about the state as an emerging destination in India’s tourism map. These buyers came from Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Fiji, Holland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Russia, Thailand, UAE, UK, USA, etc. The exhibitors ranged from state tourism boards to hospitality sector to niche products like medical and eco tourism.
Inaugurating Gujarat Travel Mart 2013, Narendra Modi, chief minister, Gujarat welcomed the delegates to the land of Mahatma Gandhi, “This land has vibrancy in every walk of life. Here there are many unique locations in Gujarat. In year 2006 we decided to give major importance to tourism, in fact all the departments were asked to give top priority to tourism. In 2005-2006 the budget for tourism was only Rs 30 crore, today the budget is Rs 500 crore. For us tourism is a priority and most important sector and we want to do our best for its growth. We have received 22 million tourists this year, which is a growth of 16 per cent, double the national tourism growth at eight per cent. We have also won three national awards for tourism.” Gujarat Tourism recently bagged three National Tourism Awards for best tourism film, innovative use of information and technology and one of the best states for comprehensive development of tourism in the country.
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Talking about the growth potential of tourism in Gujarat, Modi pointed out that efforts to promote events like the Rann Utsav has made a great difference to the lives of local crafts people, singers and musicians in the area. At one time, there was negative growth in Rann, the locals used to leave the area and go as far as Assam in search of livelihood. But things have changed now. Modi also spoke about the immense potential of spiritual tourism in Gujarat, which is a strong focus area for the tourism strategy in the state. “From the Chakradhari Mohan (Lord Krishna) to the Charkhadhari Mohan (Mahatma Gandhi), we have a rich history and culture. From Dholavira to Dholera, it is a long journey of progress.” He mentioned that the state has many important spiritual landmarks for different religions – for instance Udvada in Gujarat houses the Atash Behram, a sacred fire temple of the Parsi community. He pointed out that the state also has a rich Buddhist history that not many people are aware about. The chief minister’s birthplace Vadnagar also has a Buddhist monastery. “Gujarat is a great location for Buddhist circuit. For Sikh pilgrims also there are many important destinations in the state,” added Modi. Also, Palitana in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat is a major pilgrimage centre for Jains.
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Eco tourism is yet another focus area. Saputara is being developed from the perspective of eco tourism and presentation of tribal culture. “Our efforts to promote tourism there have helped the tribal communities and helped in preserving the natural beauty of these places,” he said. According to Modi the wetlands in the state, Sasangir and other eco tourism sites, will be coming to the limelight in the future. He mentioned that Gujarat, in particular the Saurashtra region, is becoming a popular destination for film shootings, both Bollywood and regional films. “We want to evolve special policies related to film tourism,” asserted Modi. He felt that tourism for children is another area that needs to be evolved. “Education tourism should be evolved in a scientific manner. For kids, seeing is believing. We can tell industrial houses, the children want to see how your products are made. These tours can include the many ports of Gujarat as well,” he added. Adventure tourism and sports tourism are the other areas that will be developed by the state.
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Tourism has been growing constantly in the state of Gujarat in the recent years at a rate of 10 per cent. “Tourism not only promotes culture but also employment and per capita income. Tourist arrivals are increasing substantially in most destinations. Recently we got three awards from the president of India,” said Saurabhbhai Patel, tourism minister, Gujarat. Patel pointed out that policies have been formulated to encourage tourism in the state. The government is giving special focus on development of infrastructure and improvement of facilities.
Foreign tourist arrivals in the state have also increased by 21 per cent. The campaign with Amitabh Bachchan and Gujarat Travel Mart have been key factors attributing to the growth.
