New tourism policy soon, says Deshpande

'319 tourist spots will be developed providing basic facilities in the State'

Minister for Higher Education and Tourism R V Deshpande said that the State government will soon announce a new tourism policy. The policy will come into existence after getting nod from the Cabinet.

Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a programme in Chikmagalur on Sunday, he said that the new tourism policy is ready. It will give fillip to the tourism related activities and will generate employment. The basic infrastructure had to be improved to increase employment opportunities and also generate revenue. There was a plan to give a boost to infrastructure in the tourism sector. There are ample of opportunities for the promotion of tourism in the state, he said.

“A total of 319 tourist spots will be developed. It would not be possible to develop all the spots at a time. In the first phase, 46 tourist places will be developed by providing basic infrastructure facilities. This includes a few places in Chikmagalur as well,” the minister added.

“Corporate companies will be entrusted with the responsibility to provide basic facilities and maintain cleanliness in the tourist places. The ownership of the tourist spots will be with the government,” the Minister said.

“The guides at tourist spots do not have knowledge on other languages. Hence, the department of tourism has decided to select and train the guides. The guides will be paid honorarium by the government and will not be considered as government employee. The selected guide will be taught English, Hindi, Russian and French languages at Mysore University. Along with training in language, they will be taught on culture, lifestyle,  folk arts and history of the place. A Guide will be deployed at every tourist spot. The contribution of tourism to the revenue of the country is only 6.1 per cent while it is 15 per cent in countries like Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia and Dubai,” he added.

Deshpande said that the State government had constituted Vision Group for the promotion of tourism. The government has accepted the recommendations of the Vision Group for the promotion of tourism.

The recommendation had urged the government to provide suitable road, drinking water  and toilet facilities at the tourist spots. It has also given emphasis on safety and security of the tourists.