Karnataka govt will help stranded foreign tourists: Tourism Minister HK Patil
BENGALURU: Tourism Minister HK Patil said on Friday that the state government will help all tourists from abroad stranded in Karnataka because of the conflict in West Asia.
He said the state will provide them essential facilities and offer help to manage their visas and establish communication with their kin in Iran and other countries.
Speaking at the launch of the three-day Travel and Trade Fair (TTF) here, Patil said the tourism department will coordinate with district-level officials to help the stranded tourists.
Patil said the government is making all efforts to promote tourism in the state. Compared to other states, Karnataka is less explored and marketed. Its potential has not been fully realised. To promote Karnataka’s heritage and culture, open air museums will be developed across the state. The first museum will be built at Lakkundi, where excavations are on.
Patil said 3,500 artefacts have been studied and 1,500 more unearthed at Lakkundi. They will be kept at the new museum, he added. Tourism secretary KV Thrilok Chandra said TTF will help boost inbound tourism as outbound tourism has been affected this season because of the conflict in West Asia. Bookings will go up. The tourism itineraries offered in the state will be enhanced and improvised to attract more domestic tourists.
He said Karnataka ranks third in domestic tourism with around 30 crore arrivals annually. There will be more partnerships with private stakeholders in the tourism sector. Many new services such as “Hampi by night” will be offered to tourists.