Bhopal: “MP mein dil bacchon sa…” (In MP, you feel like a child) begins an eminently hummable promotional song of MP Tourism. But the million dollar question is what exactly needs to be done to make MP a place where a visitor feels like a child – carefree, curious and contended?
Madhya Pradesh is already a preferred tourist destination for wildlife enthusiasts and for those interested in slices of history that have survived the vagaries of time including temples, forts and other monuments. It also has enough attractions for the religious-minded. And they range from the dense forests of Kanha and Pench, to the alluring valleys of Pachmarhi, to the imposing forts of Gwalior and Mandu, to the serene Upper Lake of Bhopal to the ancient temples of Khajuraho to the Mahakaal Temple of Ujjain. The list can go on.
MP Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) is doing commendable work in branding the state as a tourist’s delight as well as in developing amenities that would draw national and international, cash-rich and budget and the young and the old to the state – in short, everyone bitten by the travel bug.
However, there is more – much more – that can be done. MP needs to shed its identity only as the abode of the tiger and should go in for an aggressive makeover as a state which is chock-a-block with places that can give you an adrenaline rush, with places that can leave you dumbstruck with their breath-taking natural beauty, a state which, in its vast expanse, encapsulates attractions for the Bohemian as well as the academic, for the touch-and-go tourists to those for whom vacations means just doing nothing.
This was the broad consensus arrived at a round table meet on “Tourism in MP: The way forward” organised by the Free Press on the eve of World Tourism Day at Hotel Jehan Numa Palace here on Tuesday. Among others, officials of the MPTDC, hoteliers, representatives of travel agencies, travel enthusiasts and journalists had a thought-provoking discussion on the state’s tourism potential and on what can be done to realise it.
Those who contributed to the discussion included Gaurav Rege, general manager, Jehan Numa Palace, Manoj Mathew V, general manager, Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, Harish Wadhwani, former president, MP-CG, Travel Agents Association of India, Aruneshwar Singhdeo, a well-known city personality who runs a chain of resorts, Padma Shri Bhalu Mondhe, an eminent photographer, sculptor and environmentalist and senior journalist Chandrakant Naidu.
State forays into water tourism
At the outset, O V Chaudhary, executive director of MPTDC gave an overview of the tourism scene of the state. He said that the state has forayed into water tourism in a big way with Hanuwantiya, Sainali and Gandhi Sagar. So far, he said, 16 water bodies have been notified for promoting water tourism.
The second Jal Mahotsava organised at Hanuwantiya drew close to 5 lakh tourists and two houseboats have been launched in the reservoir. This year, the third Jal Mahotsava is slated from October 15, 2017. The Sailani Island has been developed near Omkareshwar on the lines of Hanuwantiya. It has a resort of 23 rooms, restaurant and boat club. Similar facilities are being developed at Gandhi Sagar Dam.
The state has come up with a liberal, investor-friendly tourism policy which promises handsome returns to the investors. A land bank of 477 hectares has been created and from it, land is being allotted for 16 types of tourism projects. Capital subsidy to the tune of Rs 24 crore has already been provided to 19 units. Land has been allotted to nine investors for setting up of tourism projects involving capital investment of around Rs 250 crore.
Chaudhary said that the MPTDC proposes to setup 300 wayside amenities (WSAs) along national and state highways in the state on Brown Field, Green Field and Franchisee models. The initiative, he said, had invoked good response. So far, 21 private players were allotted WSAs under Brown Field Model in 2016-17, of which nine have become functional. Nineteen new Brown Field WSA investors have been selected and allotment letters issued to them. Tenders for 20 other WSAs would be floated soon.
Serious efforts are being made to generate the manpower needed for giving a boost to tourism in the state. Youths are being trained in hotel management, food processing, F&B services, bakery, confectionary and housekeeping in the state. Over the last five years, over 20,000 youths have been trained in these fields. Besides, training under Home Stay Scheme has been imparted to 412 coolies, 292 Tourism Police personnel and over 950 tour and travel operators.
However, he was emphatic that as far as tourism goes, MP has a long way to go. He was equally clear that there is little MPTDC can do alone. A combined effort of all the stakeholders is needed and they include travel and tour operators, hoteliers, bus and taxi operators and so on. He said that it is only private investment that can help create the infrastructure necessary for giving a push to tourism in the state. Air connectivity to the state needs to be improved, he said.
Choudhary emphasised that even the popular tourist destinations need to be given an image makeover. For instance, he asked, “Why should Khajuraho Temples only be associated with erotica? Why not also as a place of pilgrimage and as a place where you can see ancient art in all its grandeur?” He said erotica is now passé. This is the age of spiritualism.
He said that the MPTDC was, is and would continue to be a facilitator. “Let us all join hands to make Madhya Pradesh a place where you are transported back to your childhood,” he said.
“Why should Khajuraho Temples only be associated with erotica? Why not also as a place of pilgrimage and as a place where you can see ancient art in all its grandeur?” – O V Chaudhary, MPTDC Exe director
—-
A senior journalist, Naidu congratulated the MPTDC for excellent branding of the state. “It is much better than in other states,” he said. Naidu said that Madhya Pradesh is “unhurried and unspoilt” and this should be emphasised. He recalled how, way back in 1990s, the MPTDC had launched an AC bus service from Bhopal to Indore and it was eminently popular. “We used to refer it as 420 bus as the round fare was Rs 420,” he quipped in a lighter vein. And now, dozens of AC buses are running on the same route. Ditto with Dodi – which set a benchmark for clean, affordable places on highways where travellers can take a brief stop. Naidu said that the over-dependence on government will hurt the sector. He also suggested that the MPTDC should come out with three-dimensional brochures.
Over-dependence on government will hurt the sector… MPTDC should come out with three-dimensional brochures. – Chandrakant Naidu
—-
Rege, who is the general manager of Jehan Numa Palace Hotel said that of the guests who stay in the hotel, almost 90 per cent are on business trips while barely 2-3 per cent are here on leisure. “Why should this happen?” He asked. There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites around Bhopal – the Sanchi Stupas and the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters. But still, Bhopal is hardly on the tourist map of the country. It is more known for gas tragedy. He also disagreed with the formulation that lack of air connectivity was a major hurdle. Two train trunk routes (Delhi-Chennai and Mumbai-Howrah) pass through the state and the state has excellent train connectivity. For instance, he said, train journey from Delhi to Gwalior takes around 4 hours. “In Mumbai, people have to sometimes travel for 3 hours to reach their homes from offices,” he pointed out. He responded positively to the suggestion that the hotels can introduce their guests, who are on business trips, to tourist attractions of the state.
There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites around Bhopal…But still, Bhopal is hardly on the tourist map of the country. – Gaurav Rege
—–
Singhdeo, a scion of the former ruling family of Surguja, who was most aptly dressed – in bermuda and T-shirt with a hat to boot – for a discussion on tourism, said that infrastructure should be available for all classes of tourists, whether cash-rich or those with shoe-string budgets. He said that in England, one can get clean, minimalist accommodation at a very reasonable price. And of course, top-notch luxury hotels are available for those who can afford them. Owner of a series of resorts in the state, Singhdeo complained the licence fee for bars in the state was unaffordable for most resort owners. “I am teetotaller but I can say with certainty that a resort where liquor is not served loses much of its attraction,” he said. He showered fulsome praises on the MPTDC. “They are doing great work in a limited budget,” he said.
“Infrastructure should be available for all classes of tourists, whether cash-rich or those with shoe-string budgets.” – Aruneshwar Singhdeo
—
A well-known and accomplished photographer, sculptor and environmentalist Bhalu Mondhe, recalling his three-day boat trip on the Narmada, said that it was an amazing adventure. He said that the MPTDC should concentrate on discovering such new places of attraction. “We have had enough of Tiger. Let Tiger also be there but there are other attractions which need to be publicised. There are other animals as well as birds and insects which people may want to see,” he said. He also referred to his book “Birds of Sirpur”, which lists some 150 species of birds that he spotted around the Sirpur Lake in Indore. “How many people know that right in the bustling concrete jungle that Indore is, you can find 150 species of birds,” he asked. A Padma Shri awardee, Mondhe’s efforts have led to the Bombay Natural History Society has recognised Sirpur as “an important bird area”. He referred to a book “Vultures of Panna”, which he has co-authored with senior journalist Abhilash Khandekar to emphasise the point that Madhya Pradesh has other wildlife attractions as well, besides the tiger. The Panna Tiger Reserve which once had the dubious distinction of being known as the Tiger Reserve with no tigers is now teeming with eight species of vultures. “It has also a great potential for drawing tourists,” he said.
“We have had enough of Tiger. Let Tiger also be there but there are other attractions which need to be publicised. – Bhalu Mondhe
—
Wadhwani, who is a prominent tour and travel operator and former MP-CG President of the Travel Agents Association of India, offered a rare insight into the practical problems the agents face. He said that one problem with Madhya Pradesh is lack of air connectivity. But it will not be solved by launching new flights to the same old destinations – Delhi and Mumbai. “New entrants in an already over-crowded sector would make business unviable for the existing as well as the new players,” he said. He suggested that it would be better to provide connectivity to new destinations like Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. Also, neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, which have a substantial Buddhist population, should also be connected with Madhya Pradesh, which boasts of the Sanchi Stupas, a very sacred place of pilgrimage for the Buddhists. He said that merely creating infrastructure was not important, it should also be put to judicious use.
“New entrants in an already over-crowded sector would make business unviable for the existing as well as the new players.” -Harish Wadhwani
