The state government has decided to set up a Tourism Infrastructure Development Corporation, a special purpose vehicle, to address the issue of lack of infrastructure in major tourist spots in the state, said Tourism Minister R V Deshpande on Monday.
After holding a meeting with the secretaries of various departments he said, “We have formulated a tourism policy draft for 2014-2019 and are seeking opinions from other departments before finalising it.”
The proposed corporation would not just help the government to raise investment, but also be entrusted with the responsibility of addressing lacuna in infrastructure, Deshpande said.
Maintaining that the final draft on tourism policy would come into effect from June this year, he said as many as 319 tourist places have been identified to improve infrastructure.
Appointment of quality guides, construction of toilets, availability of affordable accommodation and food are included in the new tourism policy, he said. He reiterated that the government has no plans to open new hotels and resorts. “We will give more thrust to improvise the existing facilities rather than go for new ones,” the minister said. He said that as many as 18 places have been identified to promote beach tourism in the state.