To develop and promote tourism, the Karnataka government will now allow the private sector to adopt 550 monuments in the State while acting as a facilitator. This voluntary commitment by the private sector is expected to bring over ₹500 crore as investment to the tourism sector, announced Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism H.K. Patil on Friday during the curtain raiser of ‘Dakshin Bharat Utsav’, which will take place in Bengaluru from December 14 to 16.
Sept. 25 launch
He said the 550 monuments, which could be temples, churches, mosques, and other heritage places, will be available for adoption by the private sector to protect, conserve, and develop, and the government had come up with a plan. The programme will be launched on September 25 and the monuments being thrown open for tourism is expected to create investments and employment opportunities.
The Minister said with four more heritage sites in the State getting recognised by UNESCO, the number of tourists visiting those places would go up soon. He pointed out Savadatti temple attracted over 1.25 crore people annually and that Karnataka had the advantage of having different tourism avenues – heritage, adventure, beach tourism, pilgrimage, environment.
Coming together
Speaking about ‘Dakshin Bharat Utsav’, Additional Chief Secretary of Tourism, Karnataka, Kapil Mohan said the southern States needed to come together to promote tourism as a whole. “Let us work together, bring about seamless integration of travel trade and tourism,” he said while also mentioning how the Western Ghats, the Deccan Plateau which stretched across states and many heritage sites had potential for tourism friendly projects.
The president of Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), B.V. Gopal Reddy said ‘Dakshin Bharat Utsav’ will showcase the rich cultural, historical heritage of South India, throwing open investment opportunities in tourism.
