MP Tourism Roadshow Highlights Achievements

Madhya Pradesh (MP) Tourism, winner of Six national tourism award, held a roadshow in Delhi recently aimed at presenting travel agents with a glimpse of ‘the heart of India’. The occasion was graced by AMD, Tanvi Sundriyal and Subhash Goyal, immediate Past President, IATO, according to a press release issued by MP Tourism.

MP is the No 1 state in India in terms of Forest cover. It has 77,700 sq.kms of forest area cover. These Forests are famous for Sal Trees and Bamboo. MP has 9 National parks and 25 Wildlife sanctuaries, the major ones being Bandhavgarh, Pench, Kanha, Panna, Satpura Wildlife Sanctuary, Chambal Ghadiyal Sanctuary etc, the note states.

In addition to wildlife, MP boast of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Khajuraho, Bhimbetka and Sanchi. Orchha , Gwalior and Mandu  are other beautiful architectural sites out of many others.

MP Tourism has made policies and incentives to promote various tourism projects in the state and to facilitate their easy implementation. The main amongst them are its forward looking Wayside Amenity policy, land allotment policy and incentive for heritage projects. Incidentally, bids are out for three heritage projects.

MP Tourism facilitated the National Conventions of IATO, ATOI and ADTOI in Madhya Pradesh. The also celebrated 2015-16 as the ‘MP Tourism Year’ which focused on all tourism parameters.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism– Some Achievements

Tourism Policy: The Tourism Policy focused on development of tourism through Public Private Partnerships. Government land has been provided for Infrastructure developments, Film Tourism and provisions for relaxation of stamp duty, luxury tax, land diversion etc have been made under the Policy.

Land Bank: Madhya Pradesh emerged as the first state to have a tourism land bank as well as a policy for attracting private investment, both in place.

International Presence: Madhya Pradesh Tourism in its endeavor to enhance its International presence and to promote State Tourism on a global platform is participating in various International Roadshows organized by Ministry of Tourism and other important Travel Marts like ITB- Berlin and WTM- London, our stall winning the 6th place in its category in ITB Berlin.

Destination Marketing: Madhya Pradesh Tourism has focused on individual destination promotion. Emphasis on Individual destination like Mandu, Khajuraho, Gwalior, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Orchha and Burhanpur.

DTPC: District Tourism Promotion Council, in association with Madhya Pradesh Tourism organizes various Adventure, Culture based theme festivals and Camping activities through which lesser known destinations around the famous ones are being promoted.

Marketing Offices: New marketing offices are being opened, the latest ones being in Bangalore and Noida, to cater to the growing demand of tourists.

Tourist Helpline: For Tourist facilitation, Madhya Pradesh Tourism started its Tourist Helpline at Toll free no. 1800-233-7777.  We are trying to improve its efficiency by outsourcing it to a professional call centre agency

WSA: Realising the importance of key facilities like food, restrooms etc. on highways, `Way Side Amenities’ are being developed at a distance of every 40-50 km. As on date 26 WSA’s have been made out of which 5 units are functioning and a new logo of WSA has been designed. Bids will be out soon for Brown field, green field & invites for Franchise Model.

Digital Marketing: Madhya Pradesh Tourism in its strive to enhance its digital presence and realizing the importance of Digital Marketing in the current scenario has revamped its website to make it more responsive & user friendly that provides complete information about tourist destinations and bookings the department is having its strong presence on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube etc to encourage direct customer interaction.

Training Institute: MP Hospitality Training Institute has been initiated in Bhopal, Indore in order to provide better service to the tourists. With various courses onboard, the institute is paving way to generate innumerable employment opportunities throughout the state. Under ‘Hunar se Rojgar Yojana’ scheme, Madhya Pradesh Tourism has successfully trained many students, who are now successfully employed in various sectors. Under ‘Paryatak Mitr’ program, it has also trained Coolies, Guides to be informative about their State and be in line with “Atithi Devo Bhava”.

Tourist Facilitation: Initiatives are being taken to improve the experience of the customers. MPT properties are being up-gradation of facilities by including facilities like swimming pool, conference halls, club, gym etc.

Standardisation in Quality: The Corporation has achieved standardization in quality to such an extent that world record with 24 ISO certificates was set in May 2015. During this period many of the hotel properties also achieved 3 Star and heritage classification from the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.

Home Stay Scheme: Madhya Pradesh Tourism’s Home Stay Scheme is for all those Apartment /Bungalow /Cottage owners who can provide accommodation and food facility to domestic and international tourists. This scheme is based on India’s core philosophy and tradition, Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam. This unique and profitable scheme enables property owners to introduce tourists to the culture, cuisine, customs of Madhya Pradesh. Currently, under the Home Stay scheme, 22 property owners have been registered with MPT.

ERP System: Through SAP, ERP system, Resort Management System and Accounting System has been introduced.

Awards & Accolades: MPT has proved that Madhya Pradesh is the heart of Incredible India and its commendable efforts have been heartily recognized by the many awards and accolades it has won over the years. MPT has won numerous National Tourism Award from Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for consecutive years from 2007 to 2015. The Year 2015 was a record as Madhya Pradesh State was awarded Six National Tourism Awards, the highest number by any State.

Caravan Tourism: MP is also the first state to introduce caravan tourism service. It has been awarded ‘The Most innovative Tourism Product’ by Ministry of Tourism for this endeavour.

SEL Shows: After the popularity at Gwalior, Orchha & Khjauraho, sound and light show have been recently started in Indore and Ujjain. 

Photo: Discussion taking place during the MP Tourism Road show in Delhi recently.