Bangalore: Karnataka Government is mulling
caravan tourism that would enable tourists visit forest and
other remote areas where hotel accommodation is a major hurdle.
The caravan would provide basic amenities like beds,
toilet, microwave, TV and refrigerator, Department of Tourism
Director K Viswanatha Reddy told reporters on the sidelines of
a FICCI meeting on hotel infrastructure investment here today
The government would welcome private partners to operate
caravans. "To start with we are looking at operating 10
caravans," he said adding the government on its part would
provide the parking zone after ensuring due clearance from
various bodies including the forest department.
The investment for each caravan would depend on the size,
it could start from Rs 6-7 lakh and go up to Rs one crore. No
route had been identified and the government would wait for a
feedback from private partners to identify the parking zones.
He said government had also taken up promotion of "heli
tourism" using choppers, covering heritage, coastal, pilgrim
and Malnad circuits. "We will shortly finalise bids for it".
To improve air connectivity, six more airports and 23
helipads were under construction, Reddy said.
The government also plans to encourage cruise tourism. It
was looking at two cruises from Mangalore to Karwar covering
places like Udupi, Kundapur, Murdeshwar and anchor cruises on
high seas off Karwar.
He said a green police exclusively dedicated to providing
security to tourists had been formed, with the personnel drawn
from homeguards and ex-servicemen. The force would be deployed
in 36 tourist destinations, he said.
Reddy said the state government had acquired 150 acres of
land in Mangalore for development of an international golf
park on a public-private partnership basis. Part of it would
have the golf park and part for an marine acquarium.
Promoting Karnataka as an ideal investment for hotel
industry, he said the government had a land bank of 2,800
acres, partly owned by government and others by private
partners who were ready to offer them for tourist development.
According to S V Ranganath, Chief Secretary, the state
was planning to add 25,000 hotel rooms in five year span.
With the Global Investors meet scheduled in June, the
government had put on all procedures on fast track and was
ensuring a single window clearance system to facilitate
investments in the state, he said.
Apart from building connectivity in terms of rail, air and
road, the government was also building telecom connectivity
and focussing on adding addition energy production capacity.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 11, 2010, 20:54