Jungle Lodges announces new trails to promote adventure tourism

“This will be more about promoting adventure tourism. This we can start for students and also for middle class families,” said the Managing Director N D Tiwari, addressing a press conference on Monday to celebrate the completion of 30 years of the JLR. The MD Tiwari said, the JLR is all set to open at least 10 JCTs from July this year with an initial investment of Rs 12 crores. The rents have not been decided yet but the per person all-inclusive package for 24 hours may cost somewhere between Rs 500 and Rs 700, he said.

A few of the JCTs would come up at Kulgi and Anshi in Uttara Kannada District, Anejhari in Udupi, Sakre Bailu in Shimoga district, a destination  between BR Hills and MM Hills in Chamarajanagar, Gopinatham near Hogenekal, Bhaganath Bailu and Jogimatha in Chitradurga district. Most of such JCTs are located in the Western Ghat as it is suitable for adventure tourism, said N D Tiwari.

The JLR started with a single resort in Kabini and now grew to 13 in number. He took the credit for ‘inventing’ eco-tourism in the country through JLR. Sharing the success story of JLR with the media persons, Tiwari said the enterprise has been approached by many States such as Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Orissa and Andaman and Nicobar Island to guide them. The JLR received offers to open its unit outside the State but due to certain constrains it avoided going outside Karnataka. The JLR earned Rs 36 lakh for its consultancy to open jungle lodges in the four states, he said.

The domestic tourists have outnumbered the international tourists, he said. “We are getting 25 per cent of international tourists whereas 75 per cent are domestic tourists and most of them are from Bangalore and surrounding areas,” he said.

JLR has proposed five resorts in five sanctuaries with an investment of Rs 25 crores but only three proposals have been approved by the Government of India as of now, he said.
The H1N1 outbreak hit the business of JLR hard. There were instructions from the local residents not to allow foreign tourists when the H1N1 scare was in its peak, he said.