‘Target Markets Are Well-Defined And Our Strength Continues To Be Domestic Tourists’

Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd’s (MPSTDC), executive director - marketing and planning, G S Chahal talks to Jyoti Koul about what lies ahead.

As MP offers diverse tourism products, do you find it difficult to create a brand identity for the state?

Madhya Pradesh is famous for the five Ws: world heritage, wildlife, worship sites, water bodies and wilderness. We have heritage sites like Mandu and Sanchi, we have national parks of Kanha and Bandhavgarh, pilgrim places like Ujjain and Omkareshwar. The state is also home to holy rivers like Narmada and Tapti and other water-bodies like Upper Lake in Bhopal and Tigra in Gwalior.

Despite this diversity, I don't think that it is difficult to create a brand identity for the state. We refer to Madhya Pradesh as the 'Heart of India' in our campaigns not just because of its location but also because it truly describes the rich tapestry of Indian cultures.

Tourism in the state has expanded in the last two years. How do you plan to lure in private players to invest in the state?

To begin with, the tourist arrival figures have shown an increase with almost 44 per cent in the domestic market and 57 per cent in foreign arrivals. And as far as private investors go, the state government's tourism policy of 1995 Eco & Adventure Tourism Policy (2001) and Heritage Tourism Policy (2002) offer a number of incentives to them. (See Box)

What markets do you plan to target?

Our target markets are well defined and our strength continues to be the domestic tourists. Our major markets are Delhi and the surrounding states of Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Baroda), Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur), Hyderabad and Kolkata while Agra, Bangalore and Chennai are smaller markets. Of course, the whole of Madhya Pradesh is a thrust area too. To reach out to these markets, we have set up marketing offices in Delhi, Agra, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Kolkata and have regional offices at Gwalior, Jhansi, Khajuraho, Satna, Jabalpur and Pachmarhi. Apart from this, Bhopal and Indore have information and booking offices. We also promote the state through print campaigns.

What is your immediate priority as far as development is concerned?

Since we have received substantial funding from the government of India, our target now is to improve infrastructure in the areas of accommodation, catering and transport. We are also looking at connectivity and the state government has undertaken the task of upgrading all roads linking major tourist centres. Apart from this, the airports in Jabalpur and Gwalior have also become functional again while those in Bhopal and Khajuraho are going to be upgraded.

Developing water and adventure sports is also a priority. We will introduce two cruise boats on the Upper Lake in Bhopal and inaugurate a river cruise from Bargi to Mandla in August. Besides, a water sports complex is also coming up at Tigra, Gwalior.