Government plans 'Bengaluru Habba' to promote tourism: Tourism Minister C T Ravi

In an effort to promote culture and sports, the state government is considering organising 'Bengaluru Habba', Tourism Minister C T Ravi told the Legislative Council on Friday.

There are also plans to organise Dasara, Hampi Utsav and Bengaluru Habba at the national level to attract tourists from around the world, he added.

Responding to a question from Congress MLC Allum Veerabhadrappa about whether the government was serious about organising the Hampi Utsav, Ravi said that arrangements were made in the month of January for the same. "We have decided to hold Hampi Utsav every year to coincide with the coronation of Krishnadevaraya. That is why the event will be held on January 10, 11 and 12 every year henceforth," he said.

Ravi said that plans were also afoot to hold the Bengaluru Habba annually as it would attract a large number of people from the city and surrounding districts.

MLC P R Ramesh noted that before Dasara attracted tourists from around the world, Bengaluru Karaga used to draw lakhs of visitors every year.

The government, Ravi said, would consider organising the habba at the same time. The main purpose of the habba is to market the culture and sports of the region as a business model, he added.