From straightforward invitations encouraging tourists to visit Karwar beach or the Mysuru Palace, the State’s tourism pitch has now veered towards showcasing Karnataka as an exciting destination for adventure tourism as well.
The shift in packaging of tourist destinations coincides with the theme for Karnataka tourism this year (‘Year of the Wild’), said Naveen Raj Singh, secretary, Tourism Department. “As it is the year of the wild, we wanted to offer something to bring out the wild side to people, the adventurous side. That is why we are packaging our jungle lodges and Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation properties along with some adventure sports,” he said.
This means that instead of selling only the awe-inspiring ruins at the UNESCO World Heritage centre in Hampi as a tourist destination, the Tourism Department will now entice visitors with the prospect of bouldering (a form of rock climbing) there. Similarly, the beaches of Dakshina Kannada will not just be popularised as attractions for beach-starved holiday-goers; they will be showcased as venues for surfing activities.
The result is that popular tourist destinations in the State are emerging from the shadows of their most famous landmarks to also include some ‘to-do’ lists, and adventurous ones at that. These include skydiving in Mysuru, bouldering at Hampi, surfing at Dakshina Kannada, and bike-riding from Bengaluru.
“The idea is to make Karnataka visible. We have everything and our rates are almost on a par with our competitors. But our visibility has not been good. In the last few months though, we have been advertising our destinations aggressively. We also expect to attract international tourists and have been participating in travel marts in places such as Paris and Dubai,” Mr. Singh said.
New portal
With websites now the primary brochures for information and publicity, the State’s Tourism Department is now revamping its website. A new portal is expected to be ready in a month and is being termed as a “high-end” one with options to handle bookings as well.
Kayaking festival in Dandeli
With Karnataka being pitched as ‘the’ adventure tourism destination, there is another addition to the list of tourism activities. For water sport enthusiasts who throng the Malabar River Festival in Kerala, there could be something similar closer home with Karnataka set to host its first kayaking festival in Kali river in Dandeli.
To be held in June, the festival will be a joint effort by the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports and the Department of Tourism.
Anupam Agarwal, director, Youth Empowerment and Sports, said though the execution of the plan is in the early stages, this would be the first such event in the State.
Modelled along the lines of the hugely popular Malabar River Festival, which sees a footfall of close to 10,000, the Kali kayaking festival is expected to host around 50 athletes — from beginners to those in the intermediate level to professionals. The event is being touted as a “fun and competitive” one that will put Karnataka on the “white water map”.
