SAYONI BHADURI – Mumbai
In an effort to boost tourism in the state of Bihar, the department of Tourism, government of Bihar is promoting tourism products. These include religious Ramayana, Shakti, Sufi and Buddhist circuits; river cruises, bird watching, litchi festivals, rural tourism, Pitripaksha Mela, ropeway in Rajgir. Keshri Kumar, information officer, department of Tourism, government of Bihar informed that many of these products are still work-in-progress.
Kumar added, “The tourism budget for the current year has been earmarked for Rs 300 crore which is yet to be approved.” Bihar saw approximately five lakh foreign tourists in 2011 and according to Kumar around 1.27 crore domestic tourists. “This year we expect anywhere between five and 50 per cent increase in number of tourists,” said Kumar. The state is targeting over three crore tourists every year. The Bihar government is also focused on building international standard airports and accommodation, seamless road and rail connectivity to tourist sports and sites, telecommunication and electricity supply to make the experience a memorable one.
The state is also looking at private sector investment in the state. Kumar informed of the Aao Bihar programme, where hotel developers can avail of variety of rebates. The programme is one and a half years old. Under this programme, state department of tourism is looking for hotels to support those developed by the department in Patna, Rajgir and Bodhgaya.
