‘A Destination Must Be Developed Well To Be Marketed Well’

Mahendra Jain recently took over as the Commissioner, Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka. He speaks to Vyas Sivanand on Karnataka’s tourism potential and the Mysore Dassera festivities this year. Excerpts.

How would you summarise tourism in Karnataka?

Karnataka holds exciting possibilities. It has a lot to offer and has been attracting tourists in hoards since the last few years. We get almost about twelve lakh domestic and two lakh foreign tourists to the state every year. Though this is not at par with the actual potential of the state, but we are definitely growing over the years. The state has a myriad of attractions and if promoted properly, the numbers can go up significantly.

The destinations have to be developed well in order to be sold well. There is a renewed focus developing access and infrastructural facilities of all destinations with tourism potential by the government. Plans have been drawn up to initiate important facilities on all the vital tourism circuits, be it coastal, pilgrim, heritage, wildlife, etc. Our ambitious plans include the sanction of 100 crore rupees from HUDCO to ensure the last mile connectivity which will be done in association with Public Works Department (PWD).

We are laying a lot of emphasis on coastal development. The Government of India is giving grants to develop coastal circuits and these grants will be dealt in a streamlined manner. The properties of the DoT are undergoing a comprehensive renovation and up-gradation. Four of its units have already been privatised while six more units will soon follow suit.

Could you give an insight into this year’s Dassera festivities?

For this year’s Dassera festival, we had launched a Gold Card, which enabled assured entry to all events, discounted hotel rates, discounts at shops, restaurants etc. We have printed 1000 cards and priced it at Rs 5000, valid for a couple. We had a planned advertising campaign to create awareness about the festival, this year. We had a 24 hour toll free number in place for any assistance required by tourists. We had also actively involved private players to promote this year’s festival.

Many joint ventures have been planned by the Department of Karnataka, the MoU with Railways to commence Palace on Wheels in State being one. What is the current status?

Several long-term projects have been envisaged by the government of Karnataka for promotion of tourism in the state. The MoU with railways is one amongst them. Currently, the revenue sharing arrangement is being worked out. It is a major project and involves the central government, state government and the railways. We are also looking to tie up with private players.

Do you believe that road shows and exhibitions will help promote tourism in the state when the basics (access & facilities) are not yet in place?

Even though the state has immense potential, the infrastructure is not up to the mark. But we have to be in the market place. Competition is heavy and with every other destination in the world vying for potential tourists, we have to stay in the picture, else we may be forgotten. Road shows and exhibitions are an integral part of promotion and their importance cannot be ignored. Karnataka has been actively taking part in road shows and exhibitions around the world.

The Commissioner’s and Principal Secretary’s post have seen more people than it has seen progress. Do you feel this has hampered tourism development in the state?

The posts have seen many people but then a lot depend on the policies of the government. Mostly it is circumstantial with the person officiating the post having his/her own reason for shifting. It is not necessarily the government that keeps issuing transfers. Even though different people have been chairing the posts, the basic programme is not derailed. Some hiccups do come up but there is continuity in the basic direction. The thrust remains the same.