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ETW Staff – Bengaluru
Karnataka Tourism has been participating at ITB Berlin for the past 13 years, each year showcasing a new fact of the multiple attractions that the state offers to tourists. This time the focus was the historic city of Bidar. “At ITB, we get an excellent opportunity to present new destinations and experiences. Last year, we presented Karnataka’s exquisite handicrafts in our pavilion. This year, we showcased Bidar, which has very recently entered the Watch List of the World Monuments Fund. This is an important indication of the potential of the area,” said Arvind Jadhav, additional chief secretary – Tourism, Government of Karnataka.
Bidar is a relatively unexplored city compared to the neighbouring heritage sites like Hampi, Pattadakal and Mysore. “With the destination’s proximity to Hyderabad, Bidar also opens a perfect doorway for us to promote the entire North Karnataka circuit. Uptill now, we have been promoting this region where we advise people to travel from Bengaluru and reach Bidar via Hampi and Pattadkal. But now, we are offering an entire circuit that crosses the Deccan all the way to Goa (after touching Gulbarga, Bijapur, Hampi and the like) as an exit point. Both Hyderabad and Goa have international airports, and quick connections via some of the Middle East airports could possibly attract travellers,” mentioned Jadhav.
The Bidar Fort, Takhat Mahal, Rangeen Mahal, the Bahamani Tombs, Chaubara and the Papanaash Temple are among the important monuments. Bidar also has a forest area of over 40,000 hectares, which protects the endangered blackbuck. There is a property called The Blackbuck Resort in the Honnikeri Reserve Forest, which is managed by one of India’s largest resort chains promoting wildlife and ecotourism, the Jungle Lodges and Resorts. So there’s something for those who seek adventure as well,” added Jadhav.
“The more places we have to showcase, the closer we are to our slogan of ‘One State. Many Worlds.’ We are trying to live up to that line and ensure that we have enough for anyone who wants to have an interesting tryst with nature, heritage and culture. This means there is an opportunity to attract more people than we currently do. It also means there are more challenges to surmount, like quality of accommodation and other facilities. But we are getting there,” stated Jadhav.
