Tourism boosters
Maharashtra bats for women tourists’ safety
Maharashtra is now gearing up to become the safest state in the country for tourists – both domestic and international. Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) celebrated the World Tourism Day by dedicating it to ‘Women’s Safety’. The corporation announced few initiatives it has planned to ensure women tourists’ safety in the state. It is in the process of designing a model Code of Conduct for safety of women tourists in the state. A dress code for photographers, guides and other tourist facilitators may also be devised. MTDC is also developing a mobile application that tourists can download and access a number of tourist groups visiting a spot, as well as those of authorities. The mobile app will also have a GPS system to track tourists as well as facilities like sending alarm messages when in danger. All stakeholders in tourist places including guides, photographers, taxi drivers, shopkeepers among others will be trained and given the dos and don’ts of treating tourists. Kishore Gadre, General Manager, MTDC affirmed, “The Code of Conduct will be finalised in the coming months. It will include instructions on how tourists should be guided. It will also include instructions to ensure good conduct while interacting with foreign and domestic tourists. Also, there are plans to have various stakeholders to monitor tourist activity in a particular spot to ensure that if he/she gets in trouble, immediate action can be taken.”
Sikkim to open new trekking routes
The state is looking at generating tourism business worth ` 1,500 crore per annum by 2020. As per Bhim Dhungel, Tourism Minister, Sikkim, the state’s annual business from tourism jumped from ` 75 crore in 2000 to ` 400 crore in 2010. The figure was only ` 1 crore in 1980. By 2020, the state aims to attract one lakh foreign tourists and 20 lakh domestic tourists annually, the Minister said. According to him, 12,862 domestic and 2,572 international tourists visited the state in 1980. The number of domestic tourist arrivals shot up to 7,00,011, while the visitors from abroad rose to 20,757 in 2010. To promote tourism, the state government has decided to create more tourist destinations, open new trekking routes and undertake aggressive marketing. The Buddhist circuits are also being developed to promote religious tourism in the state, Dhungel added. “We will develop Sikkim as a principal tourism destination in South and South East Asia by 2015,” he added.
2 cr each for six forts in Rajasthan
The Rajasthan state government has approved a budget of ` 2 crore each for six forts - Jaisalmer, Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Amber, Gagaron and Ranthambore, which have recently been declared World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO. This amount has been allotted for the promotion and conservation of these forts. Along with this, the state has also given directions to the authorities concerned to appoint a manager for each of the World Heritage sites. The site managers will be responsible for coordinating with all the agencies concerned to undertake conservation of these forts.