GADAG: Bengaluru, known for its rich culture and heritage spanning over 500 years, has only 27 tourist spots identified by the Department of Tourism.
Experts in the field and historians blame it on rapid urbanisation and real estate that has erased a piece of history.
According to historian Suresh Moona, every street in Bengaluru has a history. Another historian, AD Katti from Bengaluru, said that growth in real estate and modernity are also main reasons behind the city losing many tourist sites.
The state tourism department has identified 1,275 tourist spots across the state to give a boost to tourism. Bengaluru Urban has 27 tourist destinations and Bengaluru Rural 25. Mandya has the highest number of tourist spots in Karnataka, with 106 destinations, followed by Belagavi (100), Chikkaballapura (95), and Uttar Kannada (85). Yadgir, with 5 tourist spots, is in the last position.
According to officials, these places were identified on the basis of history, fame, and also footfall.
According to tourism experts, when someone plans an itinerary of Bengaluru, Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power, and the gardens of Lalbagh and Cubbon Park figure in it. But many know about the places in South Bengaluru and many historical temples in the city.
The department has instructed the officials of all the districts to study and identify the main tourist spots based on footfalls and history.
Department of Tourism Secretary Mohammad Ibrahim has said that action plans and approximate estimates should be sent to the department to get the required permission from the respective authorities and development work should begin.
“Bengaluru had hundreds of destinations, and among them many have disappeared due to urbanisation. There are still many heritage walk sites that need to be identified and publicised to attract people,” said Moona.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Tourism Minister HK Patil said that according to the new State Tourism Policy, 1,275 tourist places have been identified, and development works will be undertaken to give a new shape to tourism in the state.