'MP fast emerging on world tourism map'
Bhopal, December 17 (Pervez Bari): Madhya Pradesh Minister of State for Tourism Tukoji Rao Puar has said that due to ingenious and sustained efforts of the state government and its Tourism Development Department, Madhya Pradesh is fast emerging on the international tourism map.
Puar was inaugurating the Buyer-Sellers Meet for Development Heritage Hotels on Monday at Hotel Jehan Numa Palace. He said that despite being rich in heritage Madhya Pradesh lagged behind Rajasthan and Southern states in the matter of tourism development. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accepted the challenge of making Madhya Pradesh as a leading tourist destination in India as well as the world. He said that Madhya Pradesh is also important as tourists going to other destinations have to pass through the state. Therefore, it would not be difficult to attract tourists towards the state.
About the Heritage Meet, Puar said that it is like a dream come true for me since I always dreamt of taking the state on the path of heritage tourism. He said that like other wealth, Madhya Pradesh is also rich in possibilities of heritage tourism as palatial buildings of historical importance dot the state. However, it was only since our government took over that efforts to tap the potential of heritage tourism were started. I instructed officials to have a survey of all the palatial buildings in the state conducted. The survey covered heritage buildings, old Havelis, Forts, Palaces, Fortresses. According to information collected by us there are 724 heritage buildings in Madhya Pradesh including 138 buildings which have been declared as protected monuments. Out of these 311 buildings, which are not protected, are under the possession of the state government while 275 are private properties. The owners of 61 out of these 275 private heritage buildings have been invited along with 74 investors so that the owners and investors can have a direct dialogue on opening heritage hotels.
Puar said that the Tourism Department is playing the role of a mere facilitator in the meet. These 61 heritage buildings owners had given their consent for opening of heritage hotels. Therefore, it was a must to showcase their property before the investors. Hence, the Heritage Meet was organised. The Minister expressed pleasure over the fact that renowned investors have accepted his invitation and have registered their presence at the meet.
He assured the investors all possible help and facilities for opening Heritage Hotels in Madhya Pradesh. He asked them to go through the Heritage Tourism Policy of the state and suggest amendments for their benefit. After all, the policy is not a dead document and can be changed, he added. He also thanked the Tourism Department officers for successfully arranging and conducting the meet.
Earlier, while welcoming the guests, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Dhruv Narain Singh said he feels that before 2003 nothing worthwhile was done in the area of tourism development in the state. But when the present government took over in 2003, it introduced innovative schemes to attract tourists towards the state by developing its tourist destinations and infrastructure. Now the world of tourism is gripped by the craze of Heritage Tourism. Madhya Pradesh is a leading state in the number of heritage buildings and therefore offers immense potential of heritage tourism. That is why we organised this meet to bring buildings owners and investors face-to-face so that they can sort out terms of agreements and enter into MoUs.
Singh said that recently Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation, (MPSTDC), has made considerable progress and all of its hotels are running in profit. Not only this, the hotels run by MPSTDC are also getting ISO certificates for their immaculate and excellent services. He said that Tourism Department is toying with the idea of starting a 'Tiger for Sure' scheme in national parks where tigers would be easily visible to tourists. This would give a fillip to eco-tourism in the state.
In his brief but meaningful address, Commissioner Archaeology, Pankaj Rag told the investors that there are some buildings in Bhopal which are not covered by today's Heritage Meet but can be developed as Heritage Hotels. He identified Taj Mahal and Benazeer Mahal as two of such buildings. He said that both the buildings are under the possession of the state government. There would be no hitch in giving Taj Mahal but at present Benazeer is occupied by a college. However, process to shift the college is on. If an investor opens a Heritage Hotel by including both the buildings it would be tremendous success, he suggested. He said that the Madhya Pradesh Government has allocated a land bank sprawling into hundreds of acres of land adding that this land would also be offered for PPP and BOT.
Secretary Tourism Iqbal Singh Bais said that the survey conducted for registering heritage buildings got overwhelming response and large number of heritage buildings' owners expressed willingness. But this work was not easy as it had to be handled directly by the building owners. Therefore, the department thought it fit to organise the meet in its capacity of a facilitator so that building owners and investors have an opportunity to have a direct dialogue before entering into MoU. He said that all possible facilities would be extended to investors and even Heritage Policy can be amended to their liking.
Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Ashwini Lohani threw light on the activities of the corporation. He said the tourism in the state has witnessed considerable rise since attention has been given to develop infrastructure and connectivity. The faces of the roads are changing though more has to be done on this front. He said that this meet is the first effort in the direction of heritage tourism and more of such meetings would be organised in future.
On this occasion a 10-minute film was also screened highlighting tourism potential in the state. (pervezbari@eth.net)

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