One Kingdom, Many Worlds, and One Missed Opportunity

Run an internet search to find out which are the most popular tourist destinations in India, and you’re unlikely to find Karnataka on the list. Talk to someone abroad about where they are in India or want to travel and you’ll hear common names: Agra, Goa, Rajasthan, Kerala, and the like.

Despite its vastness and immense diversity – offering everything from beaches to backwaters and World Heritage sites to jungle safaris – Karnataka, with its catchy ‘One State, Many Worlds’ tagline, has long been an obscure tourist destination. has been estimated as. Stakeholders point out that despite being clearly located between two tourist favorites – Kerala and Goa – few people bother to stay in Karnataka, especially foreign travellers.

Badla Tourism

After the pandemic hit, the tourism industry here, like other parts, saw a resurgence, which is now referred to as ‘revenge tourism’. But is this sudden pandemic urge to break free from the monotony of life enough to hit the tourism industry in the state? Or is it a passing phase that will see a return to normalcy without doing much in terms of boosting the tourism potential of the state, which promises to offer so much?

Stakeholders cite several reasons for the disappearance of Karnataka from the tourism map. “A special officer is not given a long tenure in the tourism department. He will have to be given a free hand for three to five years. But by the time they learn anything about it, they are transferred,” said M. Ravi, founder member of Karnataka Tourism Forum (KTF) and Karnataka Tourism Society.

Others also pointed out that earlier, there was no concept of stakeholder consultation, but now this has changed with the coming of some associations.

According to the Ministry of Tourism’s India Tourism Statistics 2021, which provides the percentage share and rank of various states/UTs in domestic and foreign tourist visits during 2020, the top five states in domestic tourist visits in 2020 were Tamil Nadu (140.65 million) . ), Uttar Pradesh (86.12 million), Karnataka (77.45 million), Andhra Pradesh (70.83 million), and Telangana (40.00 million) have their respective shares of 23%, 14.1%, 12.7%, 11.6%, and 6.6%. The report said that these five states account for about 68% of the total domestic tourist visits in the country.

On the other hand, with respect to foreign tourist visits in 2020, the top five states/UTs were Maharashtra (1.26 million), Tamil Nadu (1.23 million), Uttar Pradesh (0.89 million), Delhi (0.68 million) and West Bengal. 0.46 million), their respective shares are 17.6%, 17.1%, 12.4%, 9.5% and 6.5%. They account for about 63.1% of the total foreign tourist visits to the States/UTs of the country.

marketing, promotion

Why is Karnataka missing out on cashing in on foreign tourist arrivals?

“Marketing and promotion is where we are really behind. Road shows etc should be planned not a week in advance but much in advance. These are the things that will really improve the situation. For example, Dussehra is to be marketed a year in advance. Now only the local crowd is coming in. How will they bring in outsiders? We have so many festivals and so much culture that needs to be unleashed in the market,” said Mr. Ravi.

KTF is promoting unexplored sites by bringing in agents from all over India and local and showcasing less explored locations such as Shivamogga or Kambala.

“Bidar and Vijayapura can also tap into Goa and Hyderabad business. Foreigners visiting Goa can be made to visit Badami, Pattadakal. Bangalore is Silicon Valley. Why are we lagging behind in social media when everything is going digital? Is there a shortage of people to do this? Think about what you can do for a state, not what the state can do for you. Other states are marketing cautiously. For example, in Kerala, the Malabar circuit has been promoted as South Kerala is becoming saturated. We have huge funds for tourism. Spend it immediately,” said Mr. Ravi.

basic infrastructure

Infrastructure – or shortcomings in it – is another area that has been marked for a long time. As per the report of Ministry of Tourism, as on December 31, 2020, the number of hotels and hotel rooms classified by categories in different states/UTs of the country shows that Kerala has the maximum (16,750) number of hotel rooms , followed by Maharashtra (14,567) and Delhi (9,060). There are a total of 40 hotels and 6,938 rooms in Karnataka. There are maximum 5-star deluxe category hotels – 17 with 4,196 rooms.

Private stakeholders point out that the city has plenty of infrastructure, but lacks MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) infrastructure, in which Hyderabad excels. Karnataka has also not been able to tap into wedding venues like Goa, Kerala and Rajasthan, he says, adding that the government needs to encourage branded hotels in less popular destinations as usual – Bengaluru, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru – are overwhelmed.

“Tourism is a maximizing employment industry. Good toilets, infrastructure, a good hotel to stay, destination visits and basic amenities – these are just the little things that visitors expect. If we can’t do it for them, then What is the benefit?” asked a tour operator.

In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha this year, Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy had said that the ministry has revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD 2.0) to develop sustainable and responsible tourist destinations in the country. Destination centric approach, but no proposal has been received from the Government of Karnataka for development of the destination under the scheme.

He had also said that the Ministry of Tourism conducts various promotional activities in international and domestic markets including Karnataka, and is also promoting Karnataka as a destination through its promotional website www.incredibleindia.org.

Chamundeshwari Devi, Mysore, is one of the identified sites for development under the ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Mission, Heritage Augmentation Campaign – PRASAD’, he said, adding that Rs 5.41 crore has been earmarked for development during 2016-17. The sanctioned Rs. Railway station in Hospet.

Tourism department officials in Karnataka said they are traveling to all major cities in India through programs and road shows to promote Karnataka, especially given how well-connected Bengaluru is.

caravan tours

But officials avoid Kerala’s quintessential question: “We have all that has to offer. We have caravan tours and we are doing advertisements as well. In MICE, we have left Hyderabad behind. But international tourism has not fully opened up as many countries still have COVID restrictions, and most are now coming for business. We are also doing well in medical tourism.

KTF President Sanjar Imam said marketing is the key. “It is not that Karnataka does not have quality infrastructure; Highway resorts, hotels are present. But marketing should be an ongoing campaign, not sporadic. We need a targeted three-year plan. Also, no one can stop Karnataka from becoming popular. States with low offers are doing better by marketing,” he said.

Dismissing the “cliched comparison” drawn with Kerala, he said Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have stepped up their marketing game in recent years.

“It is not that Karnataka has not tried, but it happens in haste and frivolity. It will not give result. Karnataka should get its due. The same formula holds for international travelers as well. The easiest thing to do is to target English speaking countries such as the US, UK, Canada and Singapore as English is widely spoken throughout the state and a foreign visitor can feel safe as they can communicate with local people. can. But we have a lot to offer in terms of architecture and cuisine, which will be of interest to European countries and Ayurveda too,” he said.