Rajasthan Government’s Tourism, Art and Culture Department recently conducted the annual Rajasthan Festival to commemorate the 67th year of the state’s foundation, aimed at highlighting the state’s art, culture, tradition and heritage to attract tourism into the state. Rajasthan recently launched an aggressive tourism promotion campaign in January 2016, along with which, the tourism department is also looking at other steps to boost tourism, due to its importance to state’s economy. Shailendra Agarwal, principal secretary, Tourism, Art and Culture, Government of Rajasthan, informed that tourism contributes 14 per cent to the state’s GDP.
Speaking about the state’s subsequent efforts, Agarwal said, “Rajasthan has ben a prime tourist attraction for over 40 years now. The state has always had a huge number of local celebrations which were confined to the people of Rajasthan, but now we are marketing these festivals to transform them ito tourist attractions. We want to break the traditional image of Rajasthan in minds of tourists, which is limited to forts, palaces and deserts. We are highlighting Rajasthan’s lesser known offerings by organising large various festivals.”
Commenting on the significance of MICE segment, Agarwal commented, “MICE is an important area for tourism in the state. Jaipur has huge potential for serving MICE due to its proximity the the city’s proximity and connectivity to Delhi. We already have one convention centre and another is underway.”
The state has signed 156 MoUs in tourism sector and an investment of `6,000 crore is expected to come this year, revealed Agarwal. Furthermore, tourism in Rajasthan has been growing at an average five-six per cent annually. Agarwal also expressed that the public-private partnerships (PPP) are essential for the survival of tourism today. Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) is has plans to move some of their properties into PPPs, which is expected to bring more efficiency in operations.
