Jenu Dewan, MD, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat (TCGL), says that the state will strengthen infrastructure around its historical sites
Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy in the state is huge. What is being done to preserve it while encouraging tourism around it?
It is the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma this year. So, we have stepped up our efforts to celebrate it. One circuit that we have is the Dandi Heritage Corridor which marks the 421 km journey which undertook from Sabarmati to Dandi during the Salt Satyagraha. It starts from Porbandar, Rajkot, Sabarmati and other ashrams. It ends at Dandi. It maps the 21 locations where he made night halts. We have a yatri niwas in 14 of these locations. We have also involved a private party for maintaining the Dandi Corridor.
These places will enable people to experience how Gandhi ji lived there, the library that he used and the history around him which includes the Dandi March and many other movements. It is a `70 crore project and gives a lot of information regarding his life. So, all those places where Gandhi ji stayed or studied are being upgraded. People can go and see how these places are associated with him.
How is the Statue of Unity being integrated with the existing tourist circuit?
Yes, we are planning to develop it into a tourist circuit. There are almost 10 projects coming up in and around the statue. By December, it will be a place where one can stay for at least two to three nights. Projects which are underway to keep up with the anticipated demand for accommodation.
Gujarat also has quite a few Indus Valley sites. What is being done to maintain them and encourage tourism around them?
The most important site is Lothal, which has an existing museum that we plan to upgrade. The Prime Minister wants to develop that site in order to bring out its real beauty. So, a National Maritime Heritage Complex is coming up there. The Ministry of Shipping along with the National Maritime University is directly involved in developing it.
As far as Dholavira is concerned, we have planned a national highway to Bhachau which will cut down the distance from 160 to 70 km between the two places. This will give a boost to tourism in that location. It is a well-preserved site. Once this road comes up, the Mandvi-Bhuj circuit too will get a boost as a tourist destination. Kutch which is famous for its handicrafts is also nearby and this will be an added attraction for tourists.
With so many historical sites and an increase in the number of tourists, how do you plan to ensure that these are preserved?
As tourists are coming in large numbers to the historical places it becomes difficult for the local agencies, guides and security to manage these monuments. We ensure that we restore monuments and give them a particular shape. To protect them we make sure that tourists don’t touch them. But this is not always possible. There are many locations where they have to come in contact with the monument to see it’s natural beauty such as Rani ki baoli and others. The human interface is kept along with proper supervision. There are CCTV cameras to give the tourists a sense of supervision and monitoring.
How do you balance sustainability with promotion of tourism?
Sustainability has always been the core component of our plan to develop tourism. The Government has already taken various steps to save the environment, plastic ban being the obvious one. We are imposing it many tourist destinations.
What is being done to ensure that the numbers of the Gir lion and the Indian Wild Ass do not diminish?
As far as wildlife is concerned, there is no diminishing trend in Gujarat. I can proudly say that the forest department is doing a very good job in terms of preventing poaching and all illegal activities that are associated with the wildlife. In fact, the number of lions and other species is going up.
How do you plan to develop the skills in the hospitality sector?
As far as Gujarat tourism is concerned, skill development is one of our basic priorities. We have earmarked a special budget of `15 crore for it. The State Government has asked us to train 4,500 people in the tourism and hospitality segment. These can be divided into two categories — one who are already associated with the industry and are sent to upgrade their skills and the other, who are fresh and want to associate themselves with this industry. We use the skills of agencies like IITs and more, where they are given annual training refresher courses which is spread over three days to a week. We request the hotels of all the important tourist locations to send their staff for the refresher training. Finally, we have started an agency in Sitpur. Our first batch will be completing their course this year. Every year we will have a batch of 60 children who are trained in Bachelor of Hotel Management and Catering.
What were the figures of inbound tourists in Gujarat?
Every year we see an average growth of almost 14 per cent. The latest figure is 5.72 crore. So, obviously we are expecting the next year to be greater than this. I am confident that this year the growth rate will increase because of the Statue of Unity.
Since the economy is not doing well, is there a fear of declining tourism. Are you doing anything to give it a boost in the state?
As far as Gujaratis are concerned, I am not worried. Even if we talk about the outsiders there is nothing to worry. This is the festive season, Navratri, and tourists are coming in. People can ignore going abroad but they will definitely go to the nearby states in order to celebrate festivals.
How do you plan to promote Gujarat abroad?
Yes, definitely. We are doing a lot of things in terms of digital marketing. Not only this, we also organising exhibitions to promote our state. We would also like to have an association with the domestic tour operators of Delhi.
Photo: Ranjan Dimri
