The very first Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart, organised recently at Palash residency, Bhopal, was a reiteration of the commitment made by the state government to make Madhya Pradesh the foremost tourism state in the country By Sudipta Dev
With its nine national parks, 25 wildlife sanctuaries, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and many other diverse tourism attractions, Madhya Pradesh has always taken a place of pride for its focused commitment to tourism. The Government of Madhya Pradesh had recently launched its new tourism policy, which it claims to be the most ‘progressive’ one in the country. Organisation of the very first Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart is a big leap in terms of positioning the state among the leading destinations in the country.
Welcoming the delegates from across the country and overseas Hari Ranjan Rao, secretary tourism, Government of Madhya Pradesh, said, “We welcome you to the heart of Incredible India. This is a state bestowed with everything except the Himalayas and the sea. It is full of diversity. We have rich wildlife and forests, and great wealth of heritage.” He reminded that in terms of religious tourism the state has two Jyotirlingas, devotees can also do parikrama of Narmada river. Then there are destinations with breathtaking landscapes like Panchmarhi, where tourists can enjoy a laidback vacation in its many colonial bungalows. There are also dams / waterbodies which have recently emerged as ideal spots for developing tourism projects, for instance the Indira Sagar Dam. “We encourage private investors to take our land near these waterbodies and do interesting activities,” he said.
In 2006, the number of tourist arrivals in Madhya Pradesh was one crore, while the current figure exceeds six crore visitors. This has necessitated creation of improved facilities and better connectivity. “The Global Investment Summit here will lead to focus on tourism and consequently people will get more jobs.” said Surendra Patwa, tourism minister, Government of Madhya Pradesh.
Aggressive tourism promotion
In his address, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, stressed on the concept of ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’, which means ‘the guest is God’. “Madhya Pradesh is witnessing a double digit growth rate. We will aggressively promote tourism. We have started a Buddhist university near Sanchi, which will attract people from different countries.” He disclosed that there are plans to open a golf course near Sanchi, which will have a great attraction for high-end tourists like the Japanese, who now instead of staying for a couple of nights in the state can extend their visit for five to six days. There is also a strong focus on developing new tourist circuits. “Asia’s biggest waterbody, the Indira Sagar reservoir is a perfect location for developing resorts. If you visit our nine national parks, you will positively see a tiger. In terms of wildlife tourism, Madhya Pradesh has the possibility to be the world’s leading destination,” reminded the chief minister.
The Maha Kumbh will be organised in Ujjain in 2016. To coincide with the world’s biggest religious gathering, the state government has declared 2016 as the Year of Tourism. “We want people from all over the world and India, to visit us during the Maha Kumbh, and look forward to your suggestion to promote the event,” stated Chouhan.
The chief minister believes that while a lot has happened in the state in terms of improving the infrastructure, what is lacking is developing the hospitality sector. “While we are number six in tourism, we want to be number one. MP Travel Mart will be our annual event. Our tourism policy is a forward thinking policy. We want to invite people to establish hotels and resorts here,” he added, stressing on the need for creation of better facilities for the projected tourism growth. “Everyone wants to travel, irrespective of social status so the facilities should be for all sectors,” added Chouhan. In the hospitality sector, presently there are 7500 rooms in the state in different categories adding up to 15,000 beds. The plan is to double the number in the next five years. The next five years will also see the implementation of other tourism projects as per the vision strategy.
According to Chouhan, the state government has proactively tried to maintain that the single window system, is ‘single’ in the true sense without having multiple hidden doors behind. The state is also committed to developing the right human resources for the tourism sector – from training of guides to other personnel, and the chief minister sought the help and suggestions from the industry to enable this.
Congratulating the state government on their focused initiatives, Subhash Verma, honorary secretary, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) stated, “Madhya Pradesh is doing a great job in terms of tourism. On behalf of FAITH we extend full support to MP Tourism. FAITH is an umbrella organisation, one voice of the industry.” Pointing out that MP Tourism has come a long way from a loss making body to a profitable institution, Sarab Jit Singh, vice chairman, FAITH, added that now it is time for the state to take big steps for attracting both international and domestic tourists. “It is a most opportune time for Madhya Pradesh,” asserted Singh, remarking that connectivity to the state should be improved.
Attracting international visitors
The year 2013 saw arrival of 2,80,000 international tourists in the state, along with 15 per cent to 20 per cent increase in domestic tourist arrivals. “We have plans to participate in international tourism in a big way, we are trying to hold more number of international roadshows. We also participate in India Tourism roadshows overseas,” said Raghwendra Kumar Singh, MD, MP Tourism. The state government has signed an MoU with Emirates and Air Arabia for international air connectivity to Bhopal and Indore. “We want to have more international flights and also improve intra state air connectivity. We have gone for an air taxi service,” informed Singh.
The tourism policy includes land banks that are ready to be offered to private investors, including hoteliers. The tourism department has land banks in Bhopal, Jabalpur, Indore, Khajuraho and other places, which have been earmarked for hotels, resorts, golf course, water sports and adventure tourism related activities and convention centre. “There are also plans for a film city near Bhopal. The state is ideal for film shootings as we have all the facilities. Prakash Jha shot four films here, which earned the state Rs 200 crore. In Madhya Pradesh almost 50 per cent of tourists come for wildlife tourism. We also have plans for rural tourism, a farm tourism project is coming up 50 km from Bhopal,” informed Rajesh Gupta, director, Tourism Promotion Unit, MP Tourism. MICE tourism, has been identified as a key area. A hotel with convention centre is coming up in Indore.