Lok Sabha Question No. 364 (STARRED), answered on 2021-03-22
Subject: Promotion of Tourism in Karnataka
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Prajwal Revanna

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*364 ANSWERED ON 22.03.2021

## PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN KARNATAKA

*364. SHRI PRAJWAL REVANNA:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware of the tourism potential in the  State  of  Karnataka  popularly  known  as  'One  State  many Worlds'  as  the  State  is  blessed  with  hill  stations,  beaches, wildlife, heritage sites, historical places and temples; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  promote  tourism  in

- Karnataka?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a) to (c): A statement is laid on the table of the House.

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STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*364 ANSWERED ON 22.03.2021 REGARDING PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN KARNATAKA.

Promotion and development of Tourism is primarily undertaken by the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations.  However, Ministry of Tourism under its schemes of Swadesh  Darshan  and  PRASHAD  provides  financial  assistance  to State Governments/UT Administrations/Central Agencies for development of tourism infrastructure and facilities in the country. Submission of projects proposal by the State Governments and its sanctioning is a continuous process. The projects for development under  the  schemes  are  identified  in  consultation  with  the  State Governments/UT Administrations/Central Agencies and are sanctioned subject to submission of project proposals, their adherence  to  relevant  scheme  guidelines,  submission  of  suitable detailed project reports, availability of funds and utilization of funds released earlier.

Ministry of Tourism has provided financial assistance of Rs. 25 Lakh during 2019-20 to Government of Karnataka for Hampi Utsav, 2020 under the Guidelines for Financial Assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for organizing Fair and Festivals and Tourism related Events.

Ministry  of  Tourism  has  identified  19  sites  in  the  country  for development under Iconic Tourist Sites Development Project. Hampi in Karnataka is one of these 19 sites.

The  Ministry  of  Tourism,  Govt.  of  India  promotes  India  as  a holistic tourism destination including ancient heritage & culture as part of its ongoing activities, releases print, electronic, online and outdoor media campaigns in the domestic and International markets, under the Incredible India brand-line, to promote tourism products  and  destinations  in  the  country  including  Rural  Tourism. The Ministry  also  promotes  the  tourism  destinations  and  products through its websites and publicity and promotional material produced by it from time to time. In this connection, Government of Karnataka has also informed about the steps taken by the State Government to promote tourism in Karnataka. The Government of Karnataka is continuously endeavouring to promote the state both nationally as well as internationally through participation in national and international trade fairs, investor meets,  festivals, tour travel markets, through publication and production of quality promotional materials and advertising through undertaking of theme campaigns, dissemination of tourism information and the like. A summary of the activities for promotion of tourism undertaken by the Government of

Karnataka is given at Annexure.

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## ANNEXURE

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*364 ANSWERED ON 22.03.2021 REGARDING PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN KARNATAKA.

## NOTE ON STEPS TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT TO PROMOTE TOURISM IN KARNATAKA

## 1. Overview of Karnataka Tourism

Karnataka state has various tourism products such as beaches, hill stations, heritage monuments, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries  etc.  Given  the  variety  of  tourism  assets,  the  State  is promoted under the tagline 'One State, Many Worlds'. The Department  of  Tourism,  Government  of  Karnataka  is  continuously endeavouring  to  promote  the  state  both  nationally  as  well  as internationally  through  participation  in  national  and  international trade  fairs,  investor  meets,  festivals,  tour  travel  markets  through publication  and  production  of  quality  promotional  materials  and advertising through undertaking of theme campaigns, dissemination of tourism information and the like.

The budget for undertaking promotional activities for Karnataka Tourism has been as follows:-

(Rs. In Crore)

|   S. No. | Year    | Budget    |
|----------|---------|-----------|
|        1 | 2019-20 | INR 48.02 |
|        2 | 2020-21 | INR 44.90 |
|        3 | 2021-22 | INR 95.00 |

A  summary  of  the  promotional  activities  undertaken  by  the Department of Tourism and its undertakings is  summarized  in  the following sections.

2. Marketing of Karnataka Tourism
2. (a) Tourism Campaign

Karnataka  Tourism  has  been  promoting  the  State  with  the 'Script Your Adventure' theme. The campaign received the globally renowned PATA Gold Award 2020 in the Marketing Campaign (State & City) category.

In lines with the theme, a brand campaign TVC along with a print ad campaign and marketing collaterals were launched. To retain the momentum generated for Karnataka Tourism in previous years, the Script Your Adventure theme has been continued with for promotion and publicity campaign since 2018.

## (b) Travel &Tourism Marts:

As part of tourism promotion, Department of Tourism participates every year in national and international travel, tourism and hospitality  events  such  as  marts,  expos,  exhibitions,  and  festivals among others.  During  the  past  few  years,  Karnataka  Tourism  has participated in travel marts and roadshows in 25+ cities across the world and 25+ cities in India.

In  2019-20  Karnataka  Tourism  participated  in  6  International Travel  &  Tourism  Marts  and  19  Domestic  Travel,  Tourism  and Hospitality Marts.

|   A | List of International Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Events      |
|-----|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   1 | Arabian Travel Market 2019, Dubai                                 |
|   2 | JATA Tourism Expo Japan 2019, Osaka                               |
|   3 | International & French Travel Market (IFTM)- Top Resa 2019, Paris |
|   4 | World Travel Market- WTM 2019- London                             |
|   5 | International Tourism Trade Fair- FITUR 2020, Madrid              |
|   6 | New York Times Travel Show 2020, New York                         |

|   B | List of Domestic Travel Tourism and Hospitality Events   |
|-----|----------------------------------------------------------|
|   1 | Travel & Tourism Fair- TTF- Kolkatta                     |
|   2 | TTF- Hyderabad                                           |
|   3 | India International Travel Mart- IITM- Bengaluru         |
|   4 | IITM- Chennai                                            |
|   5 | TTF- Ahmedabad                                           |
|   6 | TTF- Surat                                               |
|   7 | IITM- Delhi                                              |
|   8 | IITM- Cochin                                             |
|   9 | South Asia Travel Tourism Event ( SATTE), Delhi          |

|   10 | Outbound Travel Market- OTM- Mumbai                   |
|------|-------------------------------------------------------|
|   11 | TTF- Bengaluru                                        |
|   12 | India Travel Mart- ITM- Goa                           |
|   13 | PARYATAN PARV                                         |
|   14 | BHARAT PARV                                           |
|   15 | Incredible India Global tourism Mart- IGTM- New Delhi |
|   16 | Holiday Expo- Coimbatore                              |
|   17 | 11 th Great Indian Travel Bazaar- GITB- Jaipur        |
|   19 | SKAL Asia World Congress                              |
|   20 | Bengaluru Tech Summit                                 |
|   21 | Anandabazar Patrika- ABP Tourist spot- Kolkata        |
|   22 | GOA Film Bazar                                        |
|   23 | Global Exhibitions & Services Bengaluru               |
|   24 | 107 th India Science Congress                         |

## (c) Tourism Roadshows:

In  addition  to  its  marketing  campaigns  and  participation  in events, Department of Tourism also organizes roadshows in multiple domestic  and  international  cities  to  directly  connect  with  the tourism industry of those markets and engage directly with tourism service providers.

In 2019-20, Karnataka Tourism organized 9 International Roadshows  and  14  Domestic  Roadshows.  The  list  of  Karnataka Tourism roadshows for 2019-20 is as follows: -

|   Sl. No. | International Cities   | Domestic Cities   |
|-----------|------------------------|-------------------|
|         1 | Tokyo                  | New Delhi         |
|         2 | Manchester             | Lucknow           |
|         3 | London                 | Kolkata           |
|         4 | Milan                  | Chennai           |
|         5 | Madrid                 | Guwahati          |
|         6 | Barcelona              | Pune              |
|         7 | New York               | Hyderabad         |
|         8 | Chicago                | Vishakhapatnam    |
|         9 | Los Angeles            | Ahmedabad         |
|        10 |                        | Cochin            |
|        11 |                        | Coimbatore        |

|   12 | Bhubaneshwar   |
|------|----------------|
|   13 | Raipur         |
|   14 | Vadodara       |
|   15 | Surat          |
|   16 | Indore         |

## (d)  Website and Mobile App:

development  of  a  new  website  and  mobile  app  for  Karnataka Tourism is underway.  The new website shall provide a variety of information on the State's Tourism offerings act as a one-step portal for tourists and investors.

The key objectives behind the development of the new website are as follows: -

-  To attract and retain tourists with primary focus on foreign tourists
-  To showcase the destinations of Karnataka and the variety of tourism attractions of Karnataka
-  To provide more activity-based content and details regarding tour packages, hotels and so on so as to make it convenient for the tourists to plan the trip
-  To  create  an  ergonomic  site  with  more  importance  for photos, videos so as to be more engaging and attractive for tourists

The  website  acts  as  the  gateway  into  the  'One  State,  Many Worlds' of Karnataka Tourism and acts as the anchor for the active presence of Karnataka Tourism in the digital space.

(e)  Social Media

Karnataka  Tourism  has  initiated  a  strong  push  for  its  digital marketing activities and a dedicated digital marketing agency had been on boarded for the promotion of Karnataka Tourism on social media platforms and other digital channels.  This has led to a rapid increase in Karnataka Tourism's social media presence.

The official Facebook page for Karnataka Tourism (https://www.facebook.com/karnatakaworld/) has grown from 26 Thousand followers in August 2019 to 12.25 lakh followers in March

2021.    Additionally  Karnataka  Tourism's  official  page  has  54.4 Thousand  followers  on  Twitter  and  91.9  Thousand  followers  on Instagram.    Further,  Jungle  Lodges  and  Resorts  has  over  9  Lakh followers on its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/jlr.junglelodges/)  and  Karnataka  State Tourism Development Corporation has nearly 2 Lakh followers on its Facebook page (https://www.facebook/com/KSTDCLtd1/).

During the ongoing pandemic, the Department and its undertakings have been using their social media channels to both promote  Karnataka's  tourism  offerings  as  well  as  the  encourage customers to adhere to safety and hygiene protocols while undertaking tourism activities.

## (f) Festivals and Sponsored Events

Festivals and events sponsored by the Department of Tourism in 2019-20 are given below-

|   Sl. No. | Festivals                                           | Sponsored events                                     |
|-----------|-----------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | World Tourism Day Celebration                       | State Sub Junior & Junior Aquatic Championship       |
|         2 | Mysuru Dasara                                       | Bengali Film Festival                                |
|         3 | Srirangapattana Dasara                              | Garden City 7 th International Conference on Tourism |
|         4 | Gaganachukki Festival                               | FHIV Royal Classic car drive                         |
|         5 | Chunchanakatte Festival                             | Chikmagalur Ultra Run Malnad                         |
|         6 | Dasara Rural Tourism Product Exhibition, Ramanagara | Range Shankara Theater Festival                      |
|         7 | Dasara Rural Tourism Product Exhibition, Mandya     | World Tourism Day Celebration - MS Ramaiah college   |
|         8 | Koppal Festival                                     | Musical programme at NDA RangaMandir-Bengaluru       |
|         9 | Mysuru Winter festival                              | Sri Karikana Parameshwari Festival                   |
|        10 | Hampi Festival                                      | Mangaluru Classic car Carnival                       |
|        11 | BanavasiKadambotsava Festival - Uttara Kannada      | Chitra Santhe at Chitrakala Parishat                 |

|   12 | Chikkamagaluru District festival   | Chikmagalur Blossom                                            |
|------|------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|   13 | Mysuru Yoga Day                    | Allwas Cultural Programme Sponsorship Hampi- Anegundi Festival |
|   14 |                                    | Sapthaswara Musical Program                                    |
|   15 |                                    | Ranga Sambrama, Range Sangama program                          |

3. Karnataka Tourism Policy 2020-25:
- a. The  Policy  is  envisioned  to  attract  investments  of  INR  5,000 Crore  during  the  Policy  period  and  lead  to  the  creation  of  10 Lakh jobs.
- b. The  Policy  is  anticipated  to  lead  to  the  creation  of  350+ tourism projects of various types across the State.  The Policy provides for a range of incentives, subsidies and concessions for the tourism projects and tourism service providers.
- c. 18  Tourism  Themes  including  Rural  &Agri,  Culture,  Heritage, Eco, Coastal, & Adventure and 26 Tourism Projects have been identified for support during policy period.
- d. Focus Tourism Destinations identified in all districts of Karnataka for prioritized yet equitable development of tourism sector.
- e. Through Karnataka Tourism Policy 2020-25, Karnataka Tourism shall adopt a 360* marketing strategy to promote Karnataka in domestic  and  key  international  markets  to  attract  higher tourist  footfalls  and  position  Karnataka  as  a  most  preferred destination.
4. Development of World-Class Tourism Destinations
- a. Karnataka is the only State of India with two Blue Flag beaches Kasarkod Beach near Honnavar in Uttara Kannnada and Padubidri Beach near Udupi.
- b. Jog Falls  development: Government of Karnataka has authorized INR 165 Crore to undertake comprehensive development of tourism infrastructure and facilities.
- c. Nandi  Hills  and  Kemmangundi  have  been  handed  over  to  KSTDC and  JLR  respectively  for  development  as  world-class  eco-tourism destinations.
- d. Tourist spots surrounding Bengaluru will be identified and developed as weekend tourism circuits by improving infrastructure  through  Karnataka  State  Tourism  Development Corporation.
- e. Development of coastal destinations including Thrasi, Maravanthe,  Ottinene  Someshwara,  and  other  beaches  shall  be
13. undertaken.
- f. Hampi is being developed under ICONIC Destinations scheme and inputs have been provided regarding the master plan.
- g. Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysuruhas been proposed to be developed under the PRASHAD scheme of the Ministry of Tourism.
- h. Pattadakal, Chitradurga, Badami and Vijayapura have been identified  for  improvement  of  road  connectivity  and  provision  of wayside amenities in coordination between  the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
5. Karnataka International Travel Expo 2021
- a. Karnataka International Travel Expo 2019

Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, and Karnataka Tourism  Society  jointly  hosted  the  inaugural  edition  of  'Karnataka International Travel Expo'.  The event was held from 25-27 August 2019  and  has  participation  from  over  400  registered  buyers  and media personnel from 30 countries.

The  Chief  goal  of  the  KITE  expo  was  to  showcase  Karnataka Tourism  to  the  world  and  increase  the  overall  size  of  the  State's tourism sector.  The event has facilitated approximately 10,000 B2B Meetings  to  bring  together  International  and  Indian  buyers  and sellers, showcasing the best of Karnataka and creating an opportunity  for  visitors  to  get  first-hand  exposure  to  the  various tourism  products  of  Karnataka.    The  B2B  Meetings  have  the potential  to  offer  immense  business  opportunities  for  the  tourism industry in Karnataka.

## Key Features of KITE 2019:

- 
- One of India's biggest Hosted Buyer Travel Event
-  The  first  time  such  an  event  has  been  held  in  Karnataka, making it the sixth state of India to successfully host such an event
-  More than 10,000 B2B meetings between tourism stakeholders for Karnataka over 2 days
-  Over  100  Exhibitors  representing  various  destinations  and marquee products of Karnataka
-  Coverage  from  over  40  media  representatives  and  bloggers, including 17 representatives from international markets.
-  Over  15  different  tourism  segments  of  Karnataka  including Heritage,  Wildlife,  Adventure,  Coastal,  Spiritual,  Ecotourism, Wellness, and Meetings &Conferences were showcased.
-  Familiarisation Tours showcasing major destination of Karnataka  were  conducted  before  and  after  the  KITE  event. Prominent destinations covered include Hampi, Coorg, Kabini, Mysore, Chikmagalur, Vijayapura, Badami and Pattadakal among several others.
- Karnataka International Travel Expo 2021 is being organized in August  2021  to  showcase  Karnataka  Tourism  and  promote  the revival  of  the  tourism  sector.  Primary  focus  shall  be  on  domestic
- b. tourism.
6. Karnataka Tourism Investors Meet

An investor's meet shall be held in 2021 to catalyse investments in the State's tourism sector.

7. Other notable activities undertaken by Government for Development and Promotion of Tourism in Karnataka
- a. Industry Status: Government of Karnataka has recently approved the according of industry status to star- classified hotels in Karnataka. Establishments that have received a star classification  from  Ministry  of  Tourism,  Government  of  India  can avail the industry status benefits.

The  decision is expected  to boost the recovery of the hospitality  sector  through  various  benefits  including  availing  of industry rates for property tax and electricity charges.

- b. Support during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Department of Tourism  has  held  regular  consultations  with  the  State's  tourism industry to Assess the impact of the pandemic and understand what

are  the  support  measures  required  for  survival  and  revival  of  the tourism industry. Karnataka  was  the  first  State  of  India  to  release  COVID-19 Preparedness Protocols for tourists and tourism service providers in anticipation of the easing of lockdown restrictions on 08 June 2020. Efforts have been made to facilitate the revival of tourism through measures such as industry status for star-classified hotels, easing of travel restrictions, and government aid to taxi & auto drivers. c. Golden  Chariot:  Golden  Chariot  is  south  India's  only  luxury train  and  has  routes  covering  Karnataka,  Kerala,  Tamil  Nadu  and Puducherry.  It  is  one  of  the  key  tourism  products  of  Karnataka Tourism is ready to resume operations. KSTDC has entered into an MoU with IRCTC for the marketing, operation and maintenance of Golden  Chariot.  Golden  Chariot  is  now  open  for  booking  and  will resume operations shortly. d. District Tourism  Promotion  Council: Every district has a District Tourism Promotional Council headed by the Deputy Commissioners  of  the  concerned  districts.  The  District  Tourism Promotional Council looks after tourism activities in the respective districts and also monitors the progress of tourism works. e. Heritage  Tourism:  Department  of  Archaeology,  Museums  and Heritage was also brought in the ambit of Department of Tourism to facilitate overall development of heritage tourism in the State.

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