The event, inaugurated by K Jyothi Ramalingam, Principal Secretary (Tourism), Government of Karnataka, has 20 states and about 15 countries participating. However, the event was ignored by the VVIPs as the stalls stood waiting for the arrival ofJanardhan Reddy, the Tourism minister, which never happened.
However, the arrival of the scion of the Mysore royal family, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar was a surprise. He was particularly keen on the stalls put up by Jordan and Thailand, and had much to talk about with the representatives, about their history and tourism.
Neyef H Al Fayez, Managing Director, Jordan Tourism Board later said that Wadiyar was interested in heritage and religious sites. “He had queries related to Petra, one of the new seven wonders of the world,” he said. Wadiyar later told reporters that the State should focus more on infrastructure and package tourism.
No implementation
He said that the state is full of untapped potential in every respect, but the hindrance is the red tapism. “We are the first state in the country to stress on tourism, but in terms of implementation, we have taken the backseat, “ he said.
Citing the golden chariot as an example of a good effort, he said “ It is the least marketed one. It is all due to the red tapism. Since I am in the industry with hotels in both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, I know the difference. The privatisation of several sectors itself is proof of it,” he said. When questioned about the impact of global economic recession on tourism, he said that the sector is not badly affected. “ Most of these hotels which had an inflated tariff have come down to their realistic prices,” he said. The first such mega event in the City has participation from countries like Jordan, Thailand, Switzerland , Greece, Czech republic and others aiming to lure more tourists from India and also states like Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala competing with each other.
