Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has urged private companies to invest in the tourism and hospitality sector in the state saying that it is not possible for the government to develop it exclusively.
Speaking at the valedictory session of "Bihar Calling: Conference on Tourism, Heritage and Hospitality" organized by the state tourism department, Kumar said, "Right now, tourists are coming on their own but once the development ball sets rolling, there would be a lot of competition in the market and you should make full use of the opportunity now." He cited the Union government report that over 11 lakh foreign tourists visited the state last year compared to only 94,000 in 2006.
The CM said over 50 lakh visitors are expected in the state to celebrate 350 years of Takht Sri Harmandirji at Patna Saheb in 2016 and the state had sought funds from the Centre to facilitate the event. "The state is so rich in historical as well religious heritage that sometimes I think Bihar has everything," he said, adding many sites are yet to be explored or excavated.
Citing various anecdotes from his recently concluded Sewa Yatra, the CM said: "At several places, people asked me to declare their village or a temple at their village as tourist place. They know that tourism would bring a lot of opportunities in their area."
Kumar assured the investors that the state would provide them with an "enabling environment" to tap the full potential in the tourism sector "despite being a poor state".
State tourism minister Sunil Kumar Pintu said visitors should have "homelike feeling in Bihar". "Our tourists should become our brand ambassadors as the motto of Bihar tourism is "Atithya dil se," he said.
Art, culture and youth affairs minister Sukhda Pandey pitched for better coordination between her department and tourism department and gave several examples such as "Bawanbooti" art of Biharsharif and Tharu culture that could be promoted to boost tourism in the state.
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