Adventures, wildlife & rural tourism
Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board is keen to attract travellers who have a heart for adventure, wildlife and rural tourism. In light of the same, a number of activities, including homestays, trekking, bird-watching, etc, are being introduced in the state. Elaborating on these new, niche areas of focus, Yuvraj
Padole, Deputy Director— Events and Marketing, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, but we have started a new concept of ‘active holidays’. Here, for every member of the family, we have some kind of activity planned. These are soft adventures like hiking, trekking, camping, birdwatching, cycling, etc, inside the buffer zones of national parks. We are promoting where tourists can go in for homestays, stay in villages, the local culture.”
Connectivity and logistics
In 2018, the state registered a growth of 15-20 per cent over the previous year, says Padole. “In 2017, we received 7 crore domestic tourists and around 4.5 lakh international tourists,” he comments. Speaking about connectivity, and SpiceJet announced new be connecting to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Shirdi, Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai. Con- in Madhya Pradesh has also been increased. Around 425 trains cross Madhya Pradesh every day, and so, it’s very well connected by rail as well.” Padole also mentions that all state roads, village roads, and roads that lead to remote destinations have been tarred and widened, making it easier to travel by road within the state.
MPSTDC hotels
Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC), headquartered in Bhopal, offers a wide range of accommodation options. Padole elaborates, “We have over 70 hotels under MPSTDC. We keep adding hotels and boutique properties to our portfolio. Recently, we launched a wellness resort at Sailani Island near Omkareshwar. Other new properties include one in Rajgarh and another close to Indirasagar Dam in Hanuwantiya.”
New destinations
As new properties get added, new destinations develop as well. Padole says, “We have opened Sanjay Dubri National Park, which is very popular now. Then, we have Satpura National Park and Kuno Palpur National Park, where we are trying to relocate some tigers.” He says that the state is also looking to develop areas near the capital, Ratapani being one of them. “These places will become good attractions for domestic as well as international tourists, because 30 per cent of the land area in the state is covered with forests and the entire region is very scenic. Besides that we also have three UNESCO World Heritage sites – the monuments and temples of Khajuraho, the Buddhist monuments at Sanchi, and the rock shelters of Bhimbetka,” he comments.