Karnataka government allots Rs 50 crore for Tourism Vision Group projects in state

Bengaluru: Impressed by the road map laid down by the Karnataka Tourism Vision Group, the state government has allotted Rs 50 crores for the implementation of the project. In the month of April, the tourism minister Deshpande, directed the tourism group to come up with an action plan.

Following the instruction, the group is all set with a plan and has already started implementing a few projects. The group has listed a plethora of projects, from destination improvements, coastal area enhancement, building a digital platform for the tourism department, and conducting Open Street Programmes on Sundays in association with police and the BBMP.

Their first project pertains to destination improvement. This will include Mangalore fort, Srirangapatna fort, Kittur fort, Haliyal fort and Maulangi falls. Tenders have been called and will soon be finalized.

Destination improvement will have two core areas – these will be a master plan that will include storytelling and the narrative about the history of the place and physical improvements that will include parking, toilet facilities, beautification among other things.

Talking about the projects in the pipeline, V Ravi Chander, member of Karnataka tourism vision group says, “We have been conducting meetings every two weeks on the action plan. Destination improvement will be rolled out in the next 10 days.”

The group is looking at developing coastal areas. In a matter of two weeks, tenders for the development of coastal areas will be called. There will be a coastal master plan. Since it is based in the IT capital of the country, the group is planning to leverage technology to boost tourism in the state.

A digital platform for the tourism department will facilitate tourists to have easy access to various destinations. Ravi Chander adds, “We will soon call for a tender to build a digital platform which will have apps and maps that give out minute details of tourist locations.”

There is also a plan to build a museum circuit in Mysore and Bangalore. With an aim to make Bengaluru more interesting as a city, the vision group is also in talks with the police to keep open spaces closed on Sundays and conduct Open Street Programmes for citizens like cycling and painting. “This initiative will be branded with a tag like ‘feel Bangalore’, we are working towards it,” he concluded.