tourism departments: Offbeat Bucket List: Tourism departments promote unique travel experiences across India

Fancy trying something different on your next holiday? How about skydiving in Madhya Pradesh, exploring a “seabeach” in Rajasthan or going on a temple trail in Goa?

You could even board a special tourist train to cover lesser-known spots in Uttarakhand.

State tourism departments across the country are working on promoting new destinations and activities in a bid to attract more travellers, said officials. While Goa, for instance, wants tourists to explore more of the coastal state beyond its beaches, Rajasthan wants to develop destinations other than forts and palaces, they said.

Goa has launched a ‘Regenerative Tourism’ campaign, aimed at promoting unexplored tourist attractions. MakeMyTrip, which inked a memorandum of understanding with Goa’s department of tourism last month for a first-of-its kind public-private partnership, said the “collaborative effort” is aimed at boosting tourism by positioning the state as a year-round destination.

“Eleven temples all over Goa have been selected for Ekadasha Teertha; we are taking people away from the beaches,” said Deepak Narvekar, deputy general manager for marketing at Goa Tourism Development Corporation. “This concept of ‘Goa Beyond Beaches’ has been initiated by tourism minister Rohan Khaunte. We are also focusing on promoting responsible tourism and village tourism through local communities.”

Similarly, Rajasthan is developing new tourist attractions, for which several new destinations are being identified, said Daleep Singh Rathore, deputy director, tourism, Rajasthan Tourism. “Here, bird or avian tourism is taking on a new dimension. Efforts are also being made to boost geoscience tourism. Tourists would also be able to feel the sea in the desert, as the concept of a seabeach is also taking shape around the India-Pakistan border village Redana,” he said, adding that while Redana receives scanty rainfall, the characteristics of its soil and its geographical location make it appear like Goa. Besides, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation announced last month that luxury train Palace on Wheels would soon be made available for destination weddings.

The state is also developing the first crater site in Rajasthan and the third crater site in the country as a tourist attraction.

The Ramgarh crater site, about 40 km away from Baran district headquarters, is a geo-heritage site and is thought to be 600 million years old, said the official.

Uttarakhand is developing a number of newer destinations, said Sumit Pant, director of marketing and publicity at Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. The state expects to cross the 70 million tourist arrivals mark this year, up from 53.6 million tourists it received in 2022, he said.

“The tourism department has planned a special tourist train, Manaskhand Express, from various parts of the country. The train, which will be operated in association with IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), is a first of-its-kind venture by any state tourism department, wherein efforts are being made to increase the footfall directly,” he said.

“IRCTC would be providing end-to-end services of the train, covering lesser known destinations of the state. The first train is expected to start running from Kolkata in the third week of April.”

Pant said little-known but picturesque hill stations like Chaukori, activities like paragliding at Tehri Lake and new destinations such as the Kartik Swami Temple have been at the centre stage of the promotional activities. “In order to provide connectivity to Adi Kailash and Om Parvat, an Aerial Darshan Tour is on the anvil, which will provide tourists an opportunity to have a bird’s-eye view of these two magnificent mountains located in Pithoragarh district,” he said.