Need infrastructure for Chhattisgarh
To strengthen its service sector, the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board is looking at inviting private investments or projects based on the Public Private Partership model.
The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) has adopted various measures to provide good infrastructure facilities to tourists and promote the hospitality industry of the state. These include the creation of tourist circuits, rural tourism projects in its tribal villages and the development of Rajmergarh (Amarkantak) and Mainpat as hill stations and Sirpur as a major Buddhist centre. “We have already invested ` 200 crore in infra-
The state is visited by foreign tourists mainly from France, Germany, the US and the UK and the inflow is growing steadily
structure development projects, right since the state was bifurcated from Madhya Pradesh. We are now more focussed on providing safer and more comfortable accommodation for tourists. We are working on developing resorts in more picturesque locations with better facilities,”
Santosh K Misra, Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, revealed.
According to the MD, CTB is planning to double its visitor inflow in the next two years. The Board is also looking for Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to strengthen its tourist service sector. “Our state has an abundance of natural beauty and is rich in minerals. To keep it intact, we don’t want to attract crowds, and therefore, we are targetting HNIs. We want to strengthen our service sector, for which we are looking at private investments or projects based on the PPP model,” he added.
The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board is aggressively promoting the state as a retreat. “At present, a large number of tourists visit the state for its religious destinations. However, the board is trying to build Chhattisgarh as an environment and ecology retreat. The state is visited by foreign tourists from France, Germany, the US and the UK and the inflow is growing steadily,” Misra revealed.
The Board had earlier initiated a campaign tapping various social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc, with the aim of highlighting the lesser-known facts of Chhattisgarh. With regular updates and constant engagements, it has been able to acquire considerable fans and followers. Commenting on the strategy, he affirmed, “Social Media helps to connect with people beyond geographical boundaries. Through this initiative we have successfully managed to tap a large audience and the numbers are still growing.”