The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board plans to come out with a tourism master plan for the next five years by the end of 2012.

“The master plan would emphasise on a capacity building mechanism to support the local population, and ensure a sustainable model for the tourism sector that would bring in inclusive growth,” said Mr Tapesh Kumar Jha, Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board.

DESTINATIONS

The master plan would identify products (destinations) and their uniqueness, define the target audience, the role of policy intervention, private sector and infrastructural development. The tourism board has currently identified 122 destinations in the State. “Our focus currently is to target HNIs in India to visit the State without disturbing the ecological balance/resources,” said Mr Jha.

HNIS

The State Government expects to grow domestic HNI tourists five times in five years, he added without giving further details. To support the increased tourist arrivals, Mr Jha said that infrastructure development is expected to be 4-5 times the current capacity in the tourism sector. The State currently has 6,000 rooms. The State Government is also making efforts to bring leading hospitality brands to set up properties in the State, he added.

The tourism board, which had earmarked Rs 7 crore towards brand promotion this fiscal, plans to increase its advertisement budget to Rs 10 crore next year. As a first step, the board is also targeting foreign tourists from the UK and Germany this year. Total foreign arrivals in the State stood at 25,000 last year, mostly for the tribal region of Bastar. Last year, the State received 25 lakh tourists, predominantly religious tourists.