Task force to be formed to boost tourism

A tourism task force, an initiative of the Mysuru Travel Mart-2016 (MTM), would be constituted to execute the proposals of the vision group that met here, on Saturday. The task force would take steps from the private stakeholders side to give a boost to tourism in Mysuru and also to give a pleasant experience to tourists.

Listing out the outcome of the meeting, former minister S A Ramdas said, “Proposals have been suggested in four sectors — education and skill development tourism; wellness tourism, that includes Yoga and Vedic studies; digital tourism that will include a mobile app for car drivers, websites and community FM radios; and art, crafts, music and performing arts.

He said, “The recommendations of the vision group will be submitted to the government authorities soon. Action on the proposals from the government side will take time. But, the initiatives by the private sector can be taken up immediately. Our intention is to encourage repeat tourists besides showcasing the tourist destinations in and around Mysuru.” 

S V Venkatesh, managing director of Raman International Institute of Information Technology, said that signboards for the convenience of tourists can be put up immediately. “We wish to reduce dependency on the government. To make drivers of autorickshaws and cabs tourist-friendly, we plan to call them ‘tourist ambassadors’ and empower them financially. We hope to introduce ‘shopping on wheels’, where memorabilia and handicrafts will be made available in the public transport vehicles. The drivers, besides selling handicrafts, will act as guides. As most of them use smartphones, they will be provided an app so that they can guide the tourists throughout their stay and journey in the city,” he said.

Venkatesh said, “Entrepreneur Shivaram Malavalli of eHealth Technology Incubator has offered to adopt a lane in the Devaraja Market, an heritage building to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. Similarly, other industrialists and entrepreneurs can adopt other lanes in the market and also important roads and streets in the city to retain the ‘cleanest city’ tag. Tibetans of Bylakuppe settlement have sought our support and we may extend our digital initiatives like community radio, mobile apps and websites to them.” 

MTM president B S Prash- anth was present.