A pilot project to connect the country's top tourism destinations by feeder airline services is expected to take off in November. The Golden Triangle — Delhi-Agra-Jaipur — will be the first tourism circuit to be covered under this project.
The project is likely to be launched on the public private partnership (PPP) model with the Union Government as well as stakeholders in the tourism industry joining hands to provide air connectivity for well-heeled tourists.
Speaking to presspersons after attending the meeting of South India Hotels' and Restaurants' Association here, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India honorary secretary and Hotel Leelaventure Ltd. vice-chairman and managing director Vivek Nair said that three 16 or 18-seat jets would be procured on lease and introduced on the Golden Triangle circuit.
“IndiGo Airlines has been requested to operate the services. The feeder airline services may be expanded in the south, including Mysore, if the service on Delhi-Agra-Jaipur route gets good response,” he said. Compared to heli-tourism, feeder airline service is economical, with an extended carrying capacity, he added.
To a query, Mr. Nair said that the government and the stakeholders in the tourism industry may jointly run the project by pooling in resources. “There is a Central scheme which provides assistance up to Rs. 50 crore.”
One of the reasons for proposing feeder airline services was to provide connectivity to tourists to destinations at their convenience, he noted.
Whether Karnataka has the potential for operating feeder airline services, Mr. Nair said: “The route on which the Golden Chariot, the State's luxury train, operates has the potential for the service.”
He said that the Ministry of Road Transport has proposed “last-mile connectivity” to tourism spots following complaints of bad roads.
Beach tourism
Karnataka has not been able to promote coastal tourism in a big way as Kerala and Goa have done, although it has a 360-km coastline. “Hotels in Goa and Kerala register 100 per cent occupancy from November to March. We should develop infrastructure to promote beach tourism. Tourists from Russia and Kazakhstan are keen on experiencing beach tourism in India. We need to tap it,” he said.
Panel
He urged Mysore Hotel Owners' Association president Rajendra to constitute a local stakeholders' committee to develop tourism in and around Mysore. He favoured setting up of a tourism development authority for tourism promotion in Karnataka. Earlier, the executive committee of South India Hotels' and Restaurants' Association met at Fortune JP Palace. Association president K. Syama Raju, vice-presidents K.L. Ramanatha Bhat and G.V. Krishnaiah and secretary T. Natarajan were present.
