While traveling in Madhya Pradesh, I realized that "Why is it called the heart of India?" This state is very rich in natural beauty, Forests, Wildlife, Art & crafts, and Culture & Heritage. Neliswa Nakani, Hub Head, South Africa Tourism said these during a meeting with senior officials of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board.
Neliswa was accompanied by Marketing & Communication Head, India Mitalee Karmarkar to understand the working of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board and to discuss the opportunities to work together.
On behalf of the Board, Assistant Managing Director Vivek Shrotriya (IAS) welcomed both the guests and gave information about the Tourist destinations of Madhya Pradesh and the working of the Tourism Board. Shrotriya said that activities like Heritage walks, Cycle tours, Walking tours, etc. are also conducted regularly at tourist places to give new experiences to the tourists.
Neliswa said that there are historical and cultural similarities between Madhya Pradesh and South Africa. There is great scope for the State and South Africa to work together while attracting tourists to the natural beauty, wildlife diversity, and cultural heritage of each other's destinations.
Yuvraj Padole, Deputy Director of Events & Marketing, gave information about the tourism destinations of the state, Art & Culture, Cuisine, Rural Tourism, MICE Tourism, Spiritual Tourism, Skill Development, etc, through an Audio-visual presentation.
Neliswa further said that Madhya Pradesh is special in every way, and spiritual tourism is very popular here. There are 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, there is so much diversity in wildlife, and natural beauty is present all around.
South Africa also has a lot in common. Therefore, the citizens of both places, especially the youth, will not need to understand much, but we need to disseminate information to them. Both the tourism boards will benefit from such joint programs. Because tourism is not only for traveling, but also a way to understand each other's Art, and Culture.
Joint Director PK Sinha, Deputy Director Deepika Roy Chowdhury, Assistant Director Anurag Uikey, and IT Advisor Manoj Tiwari were also present at the meeting.