Paid tours by KSTDC evoke poor response from delegates

 Tours planned by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) have failed to evoke a good response from delegates participating in the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD).

The KSTDC had organised paid tours to Nandi Hills and sightseeing in Bengaluru and Mysuru on Thursday and Friday. The itinerary and schedule were put on the public domain on December 31. The agency had also invited delegates to travel on the state’s own luxury express, the Golden Chariot, from January 4 evening to January 7 morning. The KSTDC was scheduled to take guests to Mysuru for a royal heritage walk and to Kabini for a wildlife safari.

KSTDC received just two bookings for the Golden Chariot. “We had to cancel it and refund the money because of poor response. There were no bookings for day trips. Just 15 people have shown interest for the day tour, that too after the conclusion of the PBD,’’ a senior KSTDC official said, adding that an itinerary will be chalked out based on the final bookings.

The official cited inadequate publicity and the delegates’ tight schedule for the poor response. 

“Delegates are coming on an official tour after a long Christmas-New Year break. This could be another reason for the poor response. Non-resident Kannadigas will not be interested in local places and will be keen on spending time with their families here,” the officials added.

Another tourism department official said that considering the poor response, the department was planning to organise either a low-cost or even a free day-long tour for delegates.
The response to the industrial tours, however, was better, with 150 registrations.