Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Ex. Secretary-Tourism, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh highlights that festivals like Namaste Orchha have helped to project the state in the tourism map of India. The following are excerpts from a brief interview.
Q. Madhya Pradesh Tourism has organized many festivals like “Namaste Orchha” to showcase its various tourist attractions. How have such events benefited the state?
A. Namaste Orchha took place from 6th to 8th March 2020, celebrating the cultural landscape of the state. Such events have gone a long way in the pursuit of projecting Madhya Pradesh as a preferred tourism destination in India.
The first edition of three-day-long Namaste Orchha took place in the ancient and quaint town of Orchha. The destination has a stunning architectural heritage and even won the award for the Best Heritage City at the National Tourism Awards 2017-18.
Namaste Orchha featured diverse activities of music, art, wellness, travel, nature, adventure, history and culture. Madhya Pradesh has immense untapped potential in the tourism sector which through activities like festivals has helped us to highlight rich diversity and vibrancy of the state.
Other festivals like Jal Mahotsav have provided sports and nature enthusiasts, a plethora of adventurous activities to rejoice like hot air ballooning, cycling, cruise boating, water parasailing, paramotoring, island overnight camping, star gazing and bird watching to name a few.
Q. How are you developing tourism projects in Madhya Pradesh?
A. The upcoming tourism projects are of two types, one is by the MP Tourism State Tourism Development Corporation which is into the development of hotels and resorts. These properties mostly come with the help of funding by the state. The other tourism projects are being developed with the help of the private sector, for which we offer subsidy.
We are offering subsidies for a variety of infrastructure projects from building hotels, resorts to amusement parks. We have promoted the private sector to develop infrastructure as it will be more suited for the needs of the market. Moreover, private players have the responsibility of running projects in such cases.
Q. Madhya Pradesh has also become a preferred destination for film shoots. How has did it help the tourism sector of the state?
A. With a noticeable spurt in the shooting of films and TV projects in Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh has emerged as a major film shoot destination. The “heart” of Incredible India, offers a host of attractive locations that have lured film producers across the globe.
Madhya Pradesh is a perfect combination of natural settings, ancient heritage, huge water bodies, and helpful administration which makes it film maker’s delight. The film fraternity has been visiting our state over and over again which offers us a really good opportunity to increase tourism.
Q. What makes Madhya Pradesh such a popular tourism destination?
A. Madhya Pradesh offers an assortment of attractions to everyone who loves to travel and has emerged as a destination for all seasons. It is the state with the forest area cover of 77,700 sq. km filled with sal trees and bamboos.
It has numerous wildlife hotspots with 11 National parks and 24 Wildlife sanctuaries such as Satpura National Park and Chambal Ghadiyal Sanctuary. The roar of tigers has increased in the dense and beautiful forests of Madhya Pradesh. The UNESCO world heritage sites of Khajuraho, Bhimbetka and Sanchi are the iconic sites in Madhya Pradesh.