International expo to attract investment to tourism sector in Karnataka

State government aims for ₹5,000 crore from global investors

A file photo of Somnathpur in Mysuru district, which has several places of tourist interest, in Karnataka.

The State government is set to hold an international tourism expo in February 2022 to attract global investments in the tourism sector in Karnataka.

While participating in a programme in Bengaluru to mark World Tourism Day, Tourism Minister Anand Singh said the three-day expo would be held in Bengaluru palace grounds from February 23. The expo is expected to fetch investments amounting to ₹5,000 crore, the Minister said.

Referring to the complexities involved in getting permission for film shooting in historical and tourist destinations in Karnataka, Mr. Singh said the government would not only simplify the procedure, but also introduce single-window clearance scheme to save filmmakers the trouble of running from pillar to post for multiple clearances.

The single-window system would also help in getting necessary clearances in a time-bound manner.

Loss due to pandemic

Expressing concern over the tourism sector being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Singh maintained that the sector had suffered losses amounting to ₹25,000 crore in the last two years. The government has taken up various programmes to provide support to the sector so that it could make a new beginning and recover from the losses.

Senior officials of the Tourism Department were present on the occasion.