Prospects for tourism look bright as Karnataka cities gain prominence

Prospects for the tourism sector are looking bright in Karnataka as winds of change are blowing from the coast to interior Karnataka, with places such as Hampi, Mysore, Gulbarga and Bijapur gaining prominence. The government’s move of using tourism activists in Mysore has already set a precedent. In Hampi, the Archaeological Survey of India is trying to restore the pride of the ancient ruins. Along the state’s coast, public-private partnership to promote beach tourism is on a high.

Even as former tourism minister G Janardhana Reddy is biding his time in jail, the order of stopping mining in his home district has come as a shot in the arm for tourism in Bellary. The district officials told DNA that they had got many applications for tourism-related activities.

The Mysore Dasara, too, is set to attract more tourists this year as the state government has waived road tax for vehicles from other states would have otherwise paid upon entering Karnataka to see the grand celebrations. A tourist operator in Mysore, A Srinivas, said this decision would result in the increase of tourist inflow by 30%.

Karnataka’s beaches, too, are getting better. Administration has taken strong steps to deter people from defecating near beaches. Plastic items have been banned. Zero-tolerance policy has been adopted towards voyeurism and the movement of goons.

Another feather in the cap is that there has been no  drowning incidents in the sea since November 2009. CEO of the Panambur Beach Tourism project, Yathish Baikampady, added that they have a team of lifeguards who have been trained by Surf Life, Australia.

And there is more for the state’s beaches: cruise ships. More than 50 cruise ships—including one of the biggest in the world, MV Brilliance—will start their operations in Mangalore in the coming months. Farm tourism too has picked up in Moodbidri; the 100-year-old farm belonging to Soans brothers has become one of the must-visit places for the cruise ships.

Farm tourism has taken yet another form in Bidar and Bijapur. Here, foreign tourists work in various fruit plantations. However, the government has not noticed this side of tourism and thus failed to promote it.

‘Govt can do better’
People involved in tourism in Karnataka want to promote day-to-day tourism activities instead of being content with a solitary annual event like Mysore Dasara. The tourism activists say the government should become a facilitator instead of a regulator.