BHOPAL : In spite of having one of the most creative advertisement campaign for the promotion of tourism in the state and spending about Rs 400 crore in a year on tourism, MP tourism development corporation has attracted 7.24 crore domestic tourists in the year 2015-16 but has failed to bring foreign tourists in the state.
To attract foreign tourists, MP tourism will now explore heritage monuments of the state which includes Taj Mahal, Minto Hall and Benazir palace in Bhopal, Sanchi, Datiya Palace and Baldeogarh Fort. The restoration of these buildings has already been started and is said to be completed by 2018. The corporation is also trying its hands over developing Hanumantiya as a complete adventure spot for which it has already spent Rs 4 crore in purchasing six houseboat and seaplanes are under consideration even when the Jal Mahotsav at Hanumantiya did not gather enough tourist as expected.
MPTDC director, Tapan Bhowmick said that foreign tourism in India is just one per cent and negligible in MP. “We have begun planning for bringing foreign tourists here. If you look at the trend, foreign tourists visit heritage sites more and that is why we are now bringing forward those places which are unexplored and not very famous.”
The heritage sites in Madhya Pradesh not only lacks maintenance but also lacks basic facilities like toilets and drinking water towards which the MPTDC claims to spend about Rs 100 crore. In fact to bring revenue through tourism, MPTDC has decided to convert few heritage sites into heritage hotels for which it is also providing subsidy to the owners, Taj Mahal is one such project.
About the recent advertising campaign of ‘MP mei dil hua bachche sa’ where MP is drawing attention of tourists through puppets, when most of the states are promoting its wildlife, Tapan Bhowmick claims that MP has many things to promote, be it water sport, hill stations, wildlife or heritage. “Our ad campaigns contain a complete package for promotion of all the tourist spots. The Gujarat ad which is promoting its wild asses, is brilliant but we have so many things to promote than just wild animals, we do have tiger in our ad though”, he said.
