Bhopal: Tourism department to develop home stays in 100 villages

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A target to develop home stays in 100 villages should be the first step to develop tourist spots for visitors to enjoy peace, said chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while taking a review meeting of tourism department here on Wednesday.

Chouhan said, Buddhist theme park in Sanchi and nature trail has been started in all forest units, which is a commendable effort. Places like Amarkantak, Dhyan Kutirs can be promoted. Home stays should be developed in villages for rural tourism.

Special efforts should be made to preserve and make heritage properties attractive, he added. ìWater sports facilities should be made available in Indira Sagar, Gandhi Sagar and Madikheda Dam. Cruise should be operated in rivers. There is a beautiful bank of Narmada, where running a cruise can be very successful. Small cruises can be run in large numbers,î said Chouhan while praising the water resources available in the state.

He further said that advertisements like, Hindustan ka Dil Dekho, should be prepared to promote tourist places in the state.

Youths in tourism

Chief minister Shivraj Singh said youths should be provided employment by training them in the field of tourism and hospitality. 'We should make district-specific tourism plans and efforts should be made to establish tourism projects through private investment. Efforts should be made to promote tourism in each district,' he added.

Omkar circuit

'Devotees wish to visit both Mahakal and Omkareshwar Jyotirlangas together. So, we need to develop an Omkar circuit linking both of them,' said Chouhan.