Madhya Pradesh has been a preferred choice for travellers when it comes to wildlife and cultural tourism, but now the state’s tourism board has geared up to promote the heart of India as a preferred choice for adventure tourism activities.
Madhya Pradesh received about seven crore domestic tourists in 2017. Expectations are high for the year 2019 too. Yuvraj Padole, Deputy Director, Events & Marketing, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board shared the upcoming strategic plans. Following are excerpts from an interview.
Yuvraj Padole, Deputy Director, Events & Marketing, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board
- How was the year 2018 for you?
Last year was very fruitful for Madhya Pradesh Tourism. 2018 was declared as an Adventure Tourism Year and we at Madhya Pradesh started developing various adventure tourism products. We concluded the year on a high with hosting Adventure NEXT Conclave in Bhopal. The prestigious event was happening for the very first time in Asia and it took place in Madhya Pradesh is a matter of repute.
We are very optimistic for 2019 as well. Even last year we recorded around 15-20 per cent growth as compared to 2017. However, exact numbers are yet to be declared.
Our expectations are high from this year as we have promoted all our tourism products in India as well as in international markets. Internationally, we are targeting the European, the U.S and Australia markets where we have been showing our presence for the past 3-4 years now.
- What are your marketing activities planned for 2019?
We will be participating in all international tourism exhibitions as these global platforms give us the desired visibility, good exposure and opportunities to meet the DMCs, local travel agents and conduct one-on-one meetings with them.
These travel fairs and exhibitions are definitely part of our marketing activities to promote Madhya Pradesh as a popular tourist destination. Apart from that we are very strong in digital marketing and have won prestigious Cannes award for its advertisement. (Madhya Pradesh Tourism campaign, ‘Memories of Destination’ advertisement, launched in June 2018 won a Silver and Bronze in the film craft for its editing and music at 2018 Cannes Lions Festival).
We are very active on new age promotional options like social media and digital marketing. Our content is refreshing. Also, we have regular interactions with international media and international tour operators. We also organise familiarisation trips to Madhya Pradesh for people who can influence the travellers and readers.
- How do you view the competition from other states in the country?
We are number one in wildlife tourism. We have three UNESCO world heritage sites. We are very strong in historical and heritage tourism. Madhya Pradesh has so many architectural marvels in the state. We have abundance of religious places. So, we offer a variety of tourism experiences.
In our pursuit to diversify our tourism products even further with more tourism experiences, we developed some soft adventure tourism products too. That’s why we also hosted Adventure NEXT Conclave.
Adventure tourism has huge potential as Madhya Pradesh has an array of adventure tourism activities for adrenaline seekers. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive tourism offering to the travellers where there is something for everyone.
Moreover, we are trying to promote experiential tourism in the state, which includes the lifestyle of rural people, tribes, cultural amalgamation, local cuisine etc. We are also promoting home-stays which are very popular internationally. In India also, travel trends are changing and people want to experience the heritage and culture of the place they visit.
Keeping this in mind we have developed various such options like houseboats, cruise tourism etc. Every year we have Jal Mahotsav at Indira Sagar Dam near Indore, which is a very popular event and receives a large number of tourists.
- Which are the upcoming events in Madhya Pradesh?
We have a number of events lined up like Jal Mahotsav and Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart (MPTM). Monsoon Tourism is very popular now so, we have started two events, Monsoon Marathon at Pachmarhi and Satpura Cycle Safari, which is a four-day event. Many domestic and international cyclists visit the state every year. Hence, we are promoting these different kind of activities through different events, nationally as well as internationally. To promote heritage tourism we have started Heritage Marathon and Heritage Walk, where we have selected 10 cities in the state and we have started regular heritage walk to various cities like Khajuraho, Mandu, Sanchi etc.
Both of these events will help us in promoting heritage tourism in the state. Once again I will say that Madhya Pradesh has a lot to offer and with these incredible beautiful places and enthralling events, we would like to position Madhya Pradesh as a perfect holiday destination in India as well as in global markets. _