BENGALURU: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) started tour packages for children in schools and colleges in Bengaluru, a year ago. However, there have been few takers for them since the launch, the department admits."There have not been many takers for children's tours. Though we wrote and spoke to schools in the city, we have not marketed it enough. These are at a subsidised rate as compared to our regular tour packages," said Kumar Pushkar, managing director of KSTDC.
For primary school students, the department has two pre-designed day-long tours within Bengaluru. One is to a theme park, Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, Venkatappa art gallery, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technology Museum, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium and Government Aquarium. The other is to Bannerghatta Biological Park and Zoo. It also includes safaris and a trip to the butterfly park.
"We had one high school option for our heritage tour to Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal and Bijapur, last November. Indian Institute of Science has been going on monthly customised tours since the last four months. These students opted for local sightseeing trips to Mysuru, Belur-Halebid and Shravanabelagoa. Booking counters have been informed of the children's packages too," said an officer from the department.
The other pre-designed tour for high school students (class eight onwards) includes a two night and three day trip from Bengaluru to Mysuru and Madikeri. These include trips to Ranganathittu bird sanctuary, camping, trekking and more. Customised tours are also an option for students.
Commenting on what the department plans to do to increase the number of takers, Pushkar said," We have to promote these special packages for more people to hear about it. For this, we have recruited a marketing team who will join in December. They will be able to advertise on social media effectively and also interact with schools and college."
"This interface was missing until now. Even our all-women package and corporate tours need more promotion. As for the children's tours, we don't aim for a profit margin. We calculate the costs and charge as is. For regular tour packages, 25 to 30 per cent is added to the calculated costs to sustain the department," he added.