The National Niche Tourism Summit was organized under the aegis of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chhattisgarh Tourism Board on September 10, 2013, at Hotel Babylon International in Raipur.
The inaugural session began with Mr. Santosh Kumar Misra IAS, Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, welcoming all present and leading all those on the dais to light the lamp. The various dignitaries on the dais were then felicitated with bouquets and ang-vastra.
Mr. Misra delivered the Welcome Speech for the Summit by giving us an insight into the various tourism attractions of Chhattisgarh which are unique in themselves. He told us that the state of Chhattisgarh has been awarded as the Best Performing State. Being the rice-bowl of the country, this state has 22000 varieties of rice, has Asia’s longest conveyer belt, has the oldest Oak tree, the Bastar Maina which imitates human voice, and various other facts which are unknown to the rest of the world.
This was followed with a theme presentation by Mr. Sharad Jaipuria, Senior Vice President, PHD Chamber who spoke about how the state of Chhattisgarh had improved since its inception, be it the power sector, or steel, this state is rich in resources. He highlighted that this place is endowed with rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity, about various types of tourism like Eco, ethno, MICE, Cruise tourism, etc. Wishing the summit all the success, Mr. Jaipuria concluded by saying that Chhattisgarh is relatively unexplored and has a huge potential for niche tourism.
Then the Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Government of Chhattisgarh, Mr. Brijmohan Agrawal released the Knowledge Report and also awarded Certificates of recognition to the various travel agents, tour operators and hotel associations.
Then the audience was addressed by Mr. Brijmohan Agrawal, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Government of Chhattisgarh, who gave the key-note address. He appreciated the PHD Chamber’s efforts to promote the untapped Niche tourism potential in the state of Chhattisgarh. He listed out various achievements of the state saying that it has the best investment opportunities for the industries, or for steel or power, 44% area is covered under reserved forest, the biggest cement consumer, and the only state with all possible forms of tourism. He also said that though people think twice before coming to this place and did not know about it 10 years ago, they now inquire about the Chitrakoot falls and Sirpur, since tourism in Chhattisgarh has come on the Indian Tourism map in a big way. Chhattisgarh which is known for its biodiversity has been awarded 15 times by the Central Government as the ‘Best State’. He also declared Chhattisgarh as the destination for the future.
Next Mr. Miloslav Stasek, Ambassador, Embassy of Czech Republic showed a movie on their country showcasing the spectacular sceneries and monuments. He also said that Czech Republic is a major hub for tourism in Europe and is visited by almost 10 million tourists annually. Talking about his experience in Chhattisgarh, Mr. Stasek said that this is his first visit and he is thoroughly impressed by this state, its greenery, its diversity, and that he would be working towards creating a bridge between India and the Czech Republic and is eager for any future collaborations with our country.
Mr. Alok B Shriram, Vice President, PHD Chamber delivered the Vote of Thanks by sharing his personal experiences about the green state of Chhattisgarh. He thanked all the dignitaries on the dais and the eminent speakers for their view points and valuable insights. He also thanked the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board for facilitating the programme. He signed off by wishing this conference all the success.
The inaugural session of the Niche Tourism Summit proved to be a success. The summit was attended by Ambassadors of various countries, eminent people from the other state Tourism Boards, renowned journalists, Indian and Foreign Tour and Travel Operators and the relevant stake holders of the industry.
Panel Discussion I
Niche Tourism in India: Sharing of Best Practices
The first session of the panel discussion, which consisted of some eminent speakers, was moderated by Mr. N. Baijendra Kumar, IAS, Chairman, Naya Raipur Development Authority, Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board. He started the proceedings by first inviting Mr. Santosh Krishnamoorthy from BBC onto the dais.
Mr. Santosh Krishnamoorthy, BBC spoke on the role of media and communication in current days for branding of tourism products and services. He said how media can bring about radical changes and improve social situation. In India, spectacular growth of the television industry, new formats for film production and distribution, privatization and growth of radio, gradually liberalizing attitude of Government towards the sector, easier access to and for international companies as well as advent of digital communication and its technological innovations are the attributes of the growth of the sector here.
He also explained that today, digital communication channels are playing an ever-increasing role in the tourist destination decision-making process. This is particularly true in the B2C market, where independent travelers can research a potential destination and book travel, accommodation, restaurants and entertainment quickly and easily. The B2B tourism industry has been somewhat slower to embrace digital communication channels, but where some markets have effective, targeted digital B2B platforms, others have yet to realize the full potential of the media. To bring B2B up to speed with B2C tourism platforms, tourism businesses must take full advantage of the digital communication offerings.
Mr. Sebastian Domzalski, First Secretary, Embassy of Republic of Poland elaborated on the tourism industry in Poland and that how the country is a part of the global tourism market with constantly increasing number of visitors. Tourism in Poland contributes to the overall economy. The most popular cities are Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Warsaw, Poznań, Lublin, and Toruń. Poland‘s main tourist offers consist of sightseeing within cities and out-of-town historical monuments, agro-tourism, mountain hiking (trekking) and climbing among others.
He even confessed with a big smile that he is in love with India and has even named his daughter Priyanka after the popular Bollywood actress ‘Priyanka Chopra’.
Next Mr. Jiri Janiceck, Secretary, Czech Republic started his discussion with an interesting remark that in the Czech republic, even the buildings dance and you could already be caught up in their rhythm. Referring to the chateau parks and gardens in the Czech Republic, he said that the gardens were a paradise and all kind of styles could be found there. Complicated, ornamental French gardens with bushes pruned into a variety of shapes or fresh English parks with romantic buildings, and numerous variations, you name it and its there. Stony beauty of Prague, the Lednice-Valtice Complex, adventure on the banks of the Elbe, he said that Poland has it all.
Finally Mr. Siladitya Basuroy, Joint Secretary, Tourism, Govt. of West Bengal, began his presentation by promoting the Niche tourism products of West Bengal, like Chhau, Bhatial, Baul and Fakiri and Bon Bibir Pala. He further said that the cruise routes of West Bengal had been improved where the tourists enjoy river rafting, etc. He also spoke at length about the bank of River Hooghly where the wars between the Dutch and the Portuguese were fought.
The audience then engaged with the panelists through numerous pertinent questions on the niche tourism attractions of Chhattisgarh and what can be done to improve them.
Panel Discussion II
Role of Public Private Partnership in the Quest for Sustainability
This session began with the moderator Mr. Lalit Surjan, Head-INTACH, Chhattisgarh welcoming all those present on the dais by introducing them. He first invited Mr. Li Qianguo from China Tourism to express his views.
Mr. Li Qianguo, Deputy Director, China National Tourist Office excitingly said that he always wanted to come to India and that this is his first visit. He said that India has very good assets and products of niche tourism which should be promoted in China. He wanted that India should organize more conferences and workshops like these, so as to promote Niche Tourism. He ended on an optimistic note saying that China should learn from India.
Mr. Vijay Bedi, Wildlife Film-maker and Photographer, praised the efforts put in by PHD Chamber and the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board in order to come out with a programme like this. He went on to share his experiences about the state of Chhattisgarh and how he feels that this is a paradise for photographers. He concluded by saying that tourism needs to be controlled and should be promoted properly so that we go in the right direction.
Next Mr. Ashwani Pratap Deo, Representative of Hotel & Restaurant Association, came on the dais with a well-prepared paper and stressed on the need for better road, rail and air facilities in order to promote tourism in this state. Also the circuit of hotels and motels needs to be improved. He also said that efficient and smart marketing by the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) is the need of the hour. He also elaborated on Heritage Tourism of this place and how the tourist destinations here need special attention in terms of basic infrastructure. He listed three things that CTB should focus on: State-Private Sector partnership, sustained and continuous efforts in promoting tourism and recognizing tourism as an industry.
Mr. Dhirendra Mishra, President, Agrocrats Society for Rural Development, came up with developing attitude towards tourism, when invited onto the dais and entertained the audience by telling them the famous fairy tale of ‘the Emperor’s New Clothes’. He too stressed on Public-private partnership and said that till the public is not fully involved, the private sector won’t be able to contribute. Both are equally dependent on each other.
Ms. Kranti Sawarkar, Manager Tourism, IRCTC, showed the audience a power point presentation on IRCTC, telling about the Maharaja Express and the Mahaparinirvan Epress and their designs. These trains have been designed for Buddhist pilgrims from across the world and the slide also gave statistics as to how many pilgrims travel through them annually. The Maharaja Express is touted as the most luxurious trains of India.
Mr. Anil Kumar Jain, Executive Vice-President, GMR Group was next to come on the dais and pointed out three key areas that need focus which included infrastructure development, marketing and advertising and the service sector. He praised Chhattisgarh saying that it is well connected and has improved a lot over the years. Only the roads of the highways need to be improved.
Finally, the session ended by Mr. Lalit Surjan, who appreciated the speakers individually and also gave his views on how heritage tourism should be promoted in Chhattisgarh. He said that he wants Sirpur to be on the list of the World Heritage Sights of UNESCO, since this place is coming up as a popular tourist destination. He stressed on the need to develop a road-map for the next 10-20 years as tourism is a two-tier affair.
This was followed by a Power Point Presentation on the Chhattisgarh Handicrafts by the Chhattisgarh Handicrafts Board.
The finale of this Tourism Conclave was a splendid performance by the famous Bastar Band of Chhattisgarh. Over 40 tribal musical instruments performed and a majority of them used percussion instruments. The dancers wore uniquely decorated headgears of peacocks’ and cocks’ feathers. Some of them even wore headgears made of horns of stag and bison. Each of the several dancers who enthralled the audience with their exceptionally beautiful performance wore one or two bells round the waist and ankles. The music was mainly provided by the drums though in all around 40 instruments were used.
The evening ended with a vote of thanks by Mr. Sanjay Singh, General Manager, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, Govt. of Chhattisgarh, who thanked the PHD Team, his colleagues from the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, the people on the panel, and the audience for their valuable time for this remarkable event.
This Summit is the first step towards the broader aim of bringing Chhattisgarh on the Tourism map of the country. In the future course of time PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry envisages taking Chhattisgarh to other states of India and on a global platform as well.