Tourism, one of the biggest revenue generators for Jharkhand, faced immense hardship following the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020.
Jharkhand will on Saturday unveil a new tourism policy that seeks to build a holistic approach, combining the state’s rural tourism and local economy with the modern and urban traveller’s need for refuge and rendezvous with nature.
Tourism, one of the biggest revenue generators for Jharkhand, faced immense hardship following the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020. Now, two years later, Jharkhand plans to foster a thriving tourism ecosystem with the new policy. The Jharkhand government’s Department of Tourism, Art and Culture, Sports & Youth Affairs tied up with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry to develop the policy, which will be launched on Saturday.
To develop the new policy, the government has focussed on promotion of adventure, wellness, religious, rural, and mining and tourism. It will also promote destinations in the state as weekend getaways as it attempts to establish itself as one of India’s premier tourist destinations.
VIBRANT JHARKHAND
Nature and natural beauty are plentiful in Jharkhand. From forests and waterfalls to the scenic tourist destinations, the state plans to promote itself as a traveller’s paradise. The New Tourism Policy, 2021, was deemed necessary to chart a trajectory for tourism to flourish.
The state government’s key focus areas are to develop Parasnath, Itkhori, and Madhuban for religious pilgrimages. To promote ecotourism, it will develop eco-circuits such as Latehar-Netarhat-Betla-Chandil-Dalma-Mirchaiya-Getalsud. It will also make efforts to promote fairs and festivals and to offer tourists the chance to experience the state’s rich and varied cultural heritage by boosting cultural and rural tourism.
The policy also unravels adventure tourism such as water sports, paragliding, rock climbing, and motor gliding. It focuses on promoting Jharkhand as a haven for rest and recuperation to take forward its pursuit in developing wellness tourism.
Jharkhand also possesses the geographical advantage of being close to the major urban centres in Bihar, Bengal, and Odisha and, therefore, serves as an ideal destination for weekend getaways.
A unique aspect of the new policy is the promotion of mining tourism, a concept which is gaining traction nationally and internationally. The government plans to modernise the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation in order to achieve the targets set by the policy. It will also upgrade the existing Tourist Information Centres for reservations, accommodation, and transport needs of tourists.
INVESTMENT BOOST
The policy offers incentives and subsidies for investors as well. It has streamlined the system for licence, incentives, and subsidies through a single-window system to make the process hassle free. It has also proposed a constructive and mutually beneficial partnership between the private and public sector through Build Operate Transfer, Build Own Operate Transfer, Built Lease Transfer. The policy also proposes a Tourist Security Force, a 24-hour tourist helpline, and central control room.
