BENGALURU: Members of the Karnataka Tourism Society (KTS) on Tuesday requested the Karnataka State Tourism Department and the Ministry of Tourism to prepare a calendar of events for major tourist events and festivals in the state like the Mysuru Dasara and Hampi Utsav, and share it with them and private tour operators to draw more tourists to the state.
KTS secretary S Mahalingaiah said, “We have requested multiple times to the department, but it is still not addressed.” Citing the example of Mysuru Dasara, he said the state government terms it a global festival and aims to draw tourists in large numbers, spending hundreds of crores, but the returns are less. If private stakeholders are involved like giving tour operators or the society members golden passes, this will help draw over 10,000- 15,000 people. Then the government will not have to spend so much as it can draw investors.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a B2B meet here to promote Chikkamagalur and Sakleshpur, where 25 registered sellers from the two destinations and 200 tour operators from Bengaluru participated.
Mahalingaiah said in the case of Hampi Utsav, the government announces the dates at the last minute. The dates for Mysuru Dasara are known in advance, but not for Hampi Utsav. There should be better planning and involvement, he added.
Mahalingaiah said events are planned for north and coastal Karnataka, which will be held soon after the Lok Sabha polls. Also the Karnataka International Travel Expo will be held on August 24 for domestic and international stakeholders.