Author of the Indian tourism campaign made suggestions that many had difficulty digesting
Author of the Indian tourism campaign made suggestions that many had difficulty digesting
Amitabh Kant, the man who gave us the Incredible India campaign, had a few not-so-incredible suggestions for the state.
Sample this: Throw IT out of the window and concentrate on tourism instead, he said at a press meet organised by the Karnataka Tourism Forum (KTF).
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Visitors at an earlier travel and tourism exhibition at Palace Grounds Pic/Vinod Kumar T |
"Tourism createsu00a0 more revenue worldwide than information technology. I think we have to take our cue from this fact itself," said the former tourism joint secretary and ex-chairman and managing director of India Tourism Development Corporation.
An appropriate line to take considering he was the guest of KTF, the rich man's tourist operators' club that exerts pressure on the government to swing things its way.
And it helps that the suggestion comes from the author of Branding India, An Incredible Story, and the man credited with setting Kerala apart as God's Own Country.
There were other suggestions: Ferraris for tourists, bullet trains across the state and ultra luxury hotels in Hampi and throughout the southern coastline.
"Hampi is a dream destination for most travellers across the world. But it is quite sad that there is no proper accommodation for people to stay," he said, adding, "It's a great idea to build classy hangouts in and around coastlines, around traditional outfits. It will turn the place into a great tourism attraction."
Kant kept comparing Karnataka, or Karnatak as he consistently referred to the state, to his favourite destination, Kerala.u00a0 And he thinks, Karnataka has already lost out on a golden opportunity.
"Why didn't Karnatak try to fill the vacuum that was created during the terror attacks in Kashmir many years ago, to make itself a tourist hotspot," he wanted to know.
"Every crisis poses an opportunity. We have to seize it now," Kant said.
He also thought that some amount of consistency was necessary for a meaningful government-private sector partnership.
u00a0"How can a minister take action when he doesn't even get a full term to implement any of his ideas? This state gets to see so many ministers for one sector in three years," he added.
