SITCON Set Up To Promote South India As A Unified Brand

ET&T Staff - Hyderabad

With the intention of promoting South India as a unified tourist destination, the South India Tourism Council (SITCON) has been created with representations from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and the Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshwadeep Islands. The background for this initiation is because historically much of the tourists activities as well as destination management have been centered along the golden triangle of Agra, Delhi and Jaipur. In South India, Goa and Kerala have gained international attention as tourist destinations and other states are also strongly promoting their destinations.

The aim of SITCON is to emphasise 'co-opetition'; to cooperate and coordinate with other states on areas of common interest and to compete for increasing the individual shares within the whole, which will lead to enlarging the market as a whole.

Series of ministerial level and administrative level meetings have been held at Hyderabad to promote South India as a block through SITCON and to establish a brand identity of South India as a whole. SITCON is an autonomous society, which will pursue the common tourism interests of all the southern states. It will develop tourism circuits, evolve joint marketing and promotion campaigns, seek participation from private sector, share best tourism practices and resources, take up common problems and opportunities like rationalisation of taxes and levies, establishing seamless travel and smooth transit between the States, improved air connectivity etc.

Encashing on the fact that each state in South India has its own unique and special tourism products to offer to the varied tastes of the tourists, SITCON will be able to offer tourists, a large bouquet of tourist experiences ranging from heritage tourism, culture tourism, pilgrim tourism, adventure tourism, water tourism etc in an easily accessible manner. At present, the head quarters of SITCON is at Hyderabad and will on rotation basis move to the other participating states.

In an earlier meetings and at the latest SITCON meeting that was held in Hyderabad, the following consensus emerged::

1) The Ministry of Tourism, GOI has welcomed the initiative of establishment of SITCON and will fund towards promotional activities like joint participation in fairs and festivals, promotion, information technology, human resources development etc.

2) A proposal to initiate a 'South India Tourism Train' has been planned wherein a luxury train will cover all the South Indian states. It is expected that this train will have a circuit of 12-14 days duration, will be operated once a month and will cover all the South Indian states. This special train is being planned on the lines of Palace on Wheels in Rajasthan, where tourists can travel all over the South India in luxury, taking in the beautiful countryside while visiting temples, monuments, beaches, gardens, wild life sanctuaries, partake in backwater cruises, indulge in health, adventure and spiritual tourism over a period of 2 weeks, in a hassle free journey.

Another circuit of one-week duration will cover any two states intensively. This train will be a broad gauge train with 15 coaches. The estimated budget for this train is approximately Rs32 crore, 25 per cent off which is likely to be provided by sovernment of India and the rest will be shared by the participating states and Ministry of Railways. It is also planned to have a "Special Purpose Vehicle" created to execute the project. The details pertaining to pattern of sharing / contribution, cost and the circuit are being worked out. It is expected that per head charges may be in the range of US$ 100 to US$ 150 per day. Both Indian and foreign currency tariff would be offered.

3) States of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry and Andaman Administration have in principle agreed to the tourism train. SITCON proposes to work out the project proposal in consultation with all states of South India and submit it to the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Tourism during the next few months.

4) It is also proposed to initiate a "Cruise liner Circuit" covering the coastal area from West Bengal to Gujarat as another tourism venture, under the aegis of SITCON. Ministry of Tourism. Government of India has already initiated a study and Government of Kerala would take the lead in this initiative.