Madhya Pradesh tourism is undergoing a face-lift with the implementation of innovative schemes. The brain behind these is Secretary to the Tourism Department and Managing Director of MP Tourism Development Corporation Hari Ranjan Rao, who has effectively tapped the tourism potential of the State and come out with the initiatives.
In the recent past, a few tourism spots like Hanuwantiya island have been introduced. These are an entirely different kind of destinations attracting tourists loving water sports. Besides, Rao has identified 15 more water bodies in the State and notified them.
While talking to 'The Pioneer', Rao claimed that the State Government is making all-out efforts to attract tourists to Madhya Pradesh. "We have also floated tenders to invite private companies to run boats and cruise boats in the water bodies," he added.
He said the MP Tourism Development Corporation had been operating several things at a time, but now with the constitution of MP Tourism Board, the Corporation has only the hotel business to run professionally. "To compete with the hotels in the market, we certainly need to run the business professionally," he added.
The department has also classified the tourism hotels in three different categories - residencies, resorts and standard hotels. This would certainly help the customers get better facilities at different tourist sports, he said.
The Tourism department recently handed over six properties at Handia (Harda district), Katni, Naugaon, Chitrakoot, Neemuch and Datia to private parties on licence fee for 30 years.
Rao said that in the past it was observed that the properties were not earning and incurring losses. "Thus, we have decided to give them on one- time licence fee. Going through the size of bidders, it could be said that these properties can surely earn profits to private players," he said, adding that other States, including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, are following similar strategies.
However, Rao claimed that the only difference between those States and Madhya Pradesh is that MP Tourism is going for this despite being in profit, while others are out for giving their properties due to heavy losses.
Rao informed that the MP Tourism Corporation is running in profit of around `5 to 10 crore per year, while no other State is profitable in the country. "This could not be good profit, but in the current situation, we are comfortable.
Regarding the staff crunch in the Tourism sector, Rao informed that for the past few years, new employees are not being recruited and they are being hired through private agencies."Being the principal employer, we have ensured that Provident Fund of these employees are deducted and deposited with PF office," he added.
At present, the Corporation has a strength of 600 employees, only 150 of them regular. Since the hotels need to be run professionally, regular staff is required at the front office, as chef and service in-charges. Rao said that recently he had received approval for 150 such employees from the Board of Directors.