The Hindu : Karnataka News : ‘State attracts 32 lakh tourists every year’

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Thursday, Apr 03, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

‘State attracts 32 lakh tourists every year’

Staff Correspondent

Houseboats launched at Hoode

Rs. 6.40 crore has been released to develop beaches
Rs. 6.5 crore will be spent to develop tourist spots

Hoode (Udupi District): Director of the Department of Tourism C. Somashekhara said the State stood eighth in the country with regard to attracting tourists from abroad. He was speaking at the launch of two houseboats at Paradise Lagoons in the Hoode backwaters here.

Dr. Soamshekhara said the State attracted 32 lakh tourists every year. The Mysore Palace had broken the record held by the Taj Mahal for attracting the maximum number of tourists. It attracted 25.5 lakh people.

The Union Government had released Rs. 6.40 crore for the development of eight beaches in the State. An amount of Rs. 6.5 crore would be spent for the development of tourist spots in the northern circuit comprising Bidar, Gulbarga and Bijapur districts.

The Union Government was keen on promoting various forms of tourism such as eco-tourism, adventure tourism, health tourism, beach tourism, cuisine tourism, and farm tourism. “The Jungle Lodges and Resorts has given two houseboats to Paradise Lagoons to run them on an experimental basis,” he said.

Citing the pollution at the beaches in Goa and Kerala, Mr. Somashekhara said, “While the potential of tourism in the State should be tapped, reckless exploitation of nature should be avoided.”

Managing Director of Jungle Lodges and Resorts N.D. Tiwari said that the organisation had 16 properties in the State. Its resort at Kabini had an occupancy rate of 90 per cent. Two houseboats were already functioning in the backwaters of Devabagh near Karwar, he added.

He said the organisation was planning to promote Othinane in Udupi district. While river rafting facilities were already operating at Sitanadi, another such facility would be opened at Varahi in Udupi district. “We promote low intensity tourism to protect forests and beaches,” Mr. Tiwari said.

Deputy Commissioner P. Hemalatha said that since Udupi district lagged behind in both agriculture and industrial sectors, the tourism sector held the key to its progress. “The district has 90 km of coastline and the amendment to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms, expected shortly, will give a boost to beach and backwater tourism,” she said.

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