Athul LalBengaluru: One State, Many Worlds. There can’t be a better tagline to describe Karnataka, the southern state gifted with umpteen tourist destinations and a rich cultural heritage. But for snow-clad mountains, Karnataka is literally a traveller’s paradise, blessed by nature’s bounties like a 320-km-long coastline dotted with pristine beaches, cloud-kissing hill stations, breathtaking waterfalls and lush green forests apart from majestic palaces, temples and historical sites. Riding the crest of the wave of success generated by the ‘Year of the Wild’ campaign of 2017, Karnataka Tourism authorities have unveiled a new theme for 2018, ‘Script Your Adventure’.
“Today, more than ever before, travel is becoming less about sight-seeing and more about experiencing the real feel of a place. People are keen on looking beyond the ‘usual’ or ‘ordinary’ in whatever they do. Karnataka, true to its tag line, has a variety of unexplored experiences to offer every segment of tourists. This year, it shall be our endeavour to see that the State realises its potential as a complete travel destination while preserving the sanctity and integrity of its resources and people. Keeping this in mind, Karnataka Tourism has initiated steps to portray 2018 with the theme, ‘Script Your Adventure’, to retain the momentum generated during the previous years,” said T K Anil Kumar IAS, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka.
Karnataka, the eighth largest State in India, was ranked the third most popular State in the country for tourism in 2014. But much water has flowed under the bridge and the State today is looking for a silver bullet to tap the immense potential of its unbound tourism offerings. With concerted efforts and strategic planning, Karnataka can leapfrog into attaining a remarkable and inclusive growth in tourism sector
According to Karnataka Tourism authorities, the ‘Year of the Wild’ campaign had helped increase occupancy across most properties. The campaign was aimed at exploring the tourism potential of over 27 wildlife sanctuaries/national parks of the State.
“While increasing the tempo of growth, we always made it a point to remain committed to sustainability,” said Priyank Kharge, Minister for IT, BT and Tourism. “The campaign was designed for tourists who not only wanted to explore the nature in its wild best, but also enjoy activities involving adventure. We celebrated Karnataka’s ‘wild side’ with the intention of conserving the environment while engaging with the local economy. We also partnered with General Thimmaiah National Academy of Adventure (GETNAA) and Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports in organising adventure activities like sky diving (Mysore), motorcycle tourism (Hampi), eco treks and wildlife watching throughout the year.”
According to the Minister, the initiative was a major success. “As a result of it, the overall bed-night figures of all Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) properties showed an increase of 20 per cent compared to 2016-17. Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) has registered profit for the first time. Overall, ticket sales at various tourist destinations showed more than 32 per cent increase,” he said.
During 2017, JLR, a pioneer of ecotourism in the country with the largest chain of resorts, also expanded their portfolio. Anejhari Butterfly Camp, Seethanadi Nature Camp, Bhagawathi Nature Camp and Sakrebyle Elephant Camp were some of their new destinations. Additionally, the Tourism Department also teamed up with the State Forest Department to introduce new eco trails and forest treks at Skandagiri, Savanadurga, Makalidurga, Siddarabetta, Bidarakatte, Pushpagiri, Talacauvery, Makutta and Srimangala. Specially trained guides and forest officers led the walks which provided once-in-a-lifetime experience for the travellers.
But, as far as the State’s tourism industry is concerned, all is not as rosy as it appears. An interaction with the stakeholders revealed that the trade is upset with the ‘casual treatment’ being meted out to the travel and tourism industry. They cite a whole host of reasons, including inconsistent policies, frequent transfer of top officials of Tourism Department, the absence of a minister exclusively for the industry and lack of coordinated promotional activities.
“The much-hyped initiatives announced by the Karnataka Tourism Vision Group (KTVG) still remain on paper. With people lacking a background in tourism planning and marketing at the helm, the KTVG turned out to be a rather ineffective body. While the Karnataka Tourism Infrastructure Ltd. (KTIL) remains a non-starter, there is hardly any progress in the enforcement of the Karnataka Tourism Trade (Facilitation and Regulation) Act (KTTFRA), 2015.
Another major announcement was regarding the establishment of an accreditation agency to certify all travel and tourism players in Karnataka. Here too, nothing has happened. Similarly, it is said that there is a single-window mechanism for giving approval for tourism-related projects. But, for all practical purposes, it is still a multi-window system giving room for corruption. In short, Karnataka Tourism has lost the momentum,” said a senior leader of Karnataka Tourism Forum (KTF), preferring anonymity.
The statistics of tourist arrivals to Karnataka corroborates the concerns shared by the trade. In 2016, the number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) to Karnataka declined by 27.45 per cent compared to 2015. From 6.37 lakh in 2015, the FTAs dipped to 4.61 lakh. The State Government, however, is yet to release the tourism arrival statistics for the year 2017.
Minister Priyank Kharge is of the view that the methodology adopted by the Tourism Department to gauge the influx of foreign tourists is not scientific. “The Government has decided to conduct a more scientific survey on both domestic and foreign tourist arrivals from this year onwards. We have announced this in the Budget. Now, no specific criteria is followed. We have the fastest growing international airport, which registers a footfall of 24 million people every year. We are not sure if this has been considered while compiling tourist arrival figures,” the Minister told mediapersons recently.
With Karnataka on election mode, stakeholders hope that the incoming Government would rise to the occasion and address the issues faced by them. S Mahalingaiah, Chairman, IATO Karnataka Chapter and Director, Skyway International Travels, feels that the immediate priority of the new government should be to chalk out an action plan and set targets for the next three years. “Primarily, we need a young and energetic politician at the helm of Tourism Department. Tourism should not be allocated as one among many portfolios to a minister. The government should ensure that top officials are given at least three-year term to implement projects effectively. If required, the government should update the tourism policy and execute projects in a time-bound manner. Immediate measures have to be taken for improving the facilities at major tourism destinations. Above all, there should be aggressive marketing within India as well as abroad,” he said.
Ramu B IAS, the newly-appointed Director of Karnataka Tourism, has made it clear that his priority would be to scale up marketing activities of Karnataka Tourism. “It is all about selling an experience. I need few months to study and understand the kind of experience we are trying to market. Be it responsible tourism or adventure tourism, I would really like to market the State to different segments of people. The officials of the Tourism Department have already prepared some plans. I too have some ideas. We hope the plans we implement in due course will help boost the State’s tourism industry,” said the official, who succeeds Dr. N Manjula IAS.
Taking a cue from the success of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Society, the stakeholders of Karnataka Tourism has recently submitted a representation to the State Government seeking the formation of Karnataka Tourism Society for the purpose of launching a focused and streamlined promotional campaign. “Karnataka has tremendous tourism potential. Tourism will help provide livelihood to different sections of society. Hence, it is important to have a very focused-approach,” Mahalingaiah said.
EXPLORING MYSURU’S TOURISM POTENTIAL
K J Alphons, Union Minister of State for Tourism (I/C), during his recent visit to Mysuru, opined that the city has the potential to attract 10 million tourists annually. As per official data, the famous Mysore Palace and the city together attract more than three million tourists every year. “Being a Heritage City, Mysuru has 11 palaces, 140 heritage buildings, enchanting gardens, broad avenues and ancient temples. Moreover, Mysuru is arguably the ‘Yoga Capital’ of India and hence, it is an ideal wellness destination as well in that sense. As rightly pointed out by the Union Tourism Minister, Mysuru has the potential to attract many more tourists. Major infrastructure projects are the need of the hour especially in the accommodation sector. Although few big brands have already started investing and setting up projects, we are trying to attract many more,” the Secretary said.
Recently, the stakeholders, including the hotel owners’ association, submitted a wish list to the Union Tourism Minister which included an international convention centre in Mysuru, abolition of entry tax for tourist vehicles from south India, better road and air connectivity, and projection of ‘Dasara’ as a global festival.
“Almost a decade ago, Mysuru, the Palace in particular, used to attract 12 lakh visitors every year. Now it has touched 30 lakh. Despite the increase in revenue, the authorities pay scant regard to upgrading the basic comfort facilities for tourists. They are only interested in updating the website, altering the entrance and exit systems and so on. To achieve the target suggested by the Union Minister, the authorities should urgently intervene and set up adequate amenities for tourists at least in popular destinations like Mysuru,” according to a veteran travel and tour operator based in Mysuru.
