Without vaccination, tourism will not survive: Kishan Reddy

Bengaluru: A two-day conference of tourism and culture ministers of southern India began here on Thursday, aiming to apprise various stakeholders about the projects and initiatives being taken by the Centre for the development of the region.

Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy, Minister of State Information and Broadcasting, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Bhagwant Khuba, Minister of State for Tourism and Defence, Ajay Bhatt, Ministry of Culture, Secretary, Govind Mohan and Karnataka Tourism, Environment and Ecology Minister Anand Singh participated in the inaugural event.

Speaking on the occasion, Kishan Reddy congratulated all the scientists, healthcare workers and vaccine manufacturers on crossing the 100 crores vaccine mark and dwelt on how this will be a big boost for the tourism industry.

He asserted that there has been no bigger confidence booster for revival of tourism than vaccination against COVID-19. The minister congratulated each and every citizen of the country, on India achieving the milestone in its vaccination drive against Covid. "We have witnessed the victory of scientists, victory of healthcare workers and the collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. It is a victory of 'new India' and team India; and a victory of the spirit of cooperative federalism, and of our Corona warriors," Reddy said.

He said vaccination against Covid and tourism will go together in the current scenario, and without vaccination, tourism will not survive and no tourists will come. "We should use challenging times as an opportunity to rethink, regenerate and reinvent the tourism sector," the minister said.

"Karnataka is the state with the richest culture. For the development of the Southern States Fifteen projects will be implemented under the Prasad scheme," Kishan Reddy added.

"The GOI tourism department has taken several measures to boost tourism and also encourage investments. The initiatives include a National Tourism Policy, industry status to various tourism projects, unsecured loans of Rs 10 lakh to tour operators and Rs 1 lakh to tourist guides who have been affected by the pandemic," said Kishan Reddy

Ministry of Culture, Secretary, Govind Mohan highlighted the significance of Southern Region in the framework of Ministry of Culture to bring forth the best of Indian culture. He also mentioned the major institutions of Ministry of Culture such as Archaeological Survey of India, under which many sites from the Southern Region are listed.

He amplified the developments such as large scale digitalisation of Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad and schemes such as those of performing arts, which have great resonance in Southern India. Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Bhagwant Khuba spoke of the historical significance of Basava Kalyan in Bidar, Karnataka and Lord Basaveshawara. He urged the Ministry of Tourism to develop Bidar through tourism schemes like prasad.

He said, "Historic sites such as Gurudwara, Narasimha Jharana, Mylar Mallanna, Bidar and others, Manikaprabhu Temple, Rekulagi, Anadura Buddhist Vihara etc., should be developed." He has also requested the State minister to send a proposal for the development of all these sites from the State and also brought to the notice of Kishan Reddy.

Karnataka Tourism Minister Anand Singh in a tweet stated, "It is time to rethink the new normal for tourism. Karnataka along with six other leading South Indian states are taking the first step to refresh and restart tourism on a whole new scale. Let's welcome a bold new future."

Anand Singh objected to the absence of Kannada in the banner at the two-day tourism conference. He later asked the organisers concerned to immediately change and use Kannada language in the banner.

Anand Singh promised to work hard to add the list of heritage sites in the State to UNESCO. He said, "Karnataka's cultural heritage is a natural gift. The list of UNESCO heritage sites includes the state's Hampi, Pattadakal, and Western Ghats."

The state has five national parks, 30 wildlife sanctuaries, 17 hill stations and 40 waterfalls. There are 320 km of natural coastline and pristine beaches. These tourist destinations are the state's top attractions. He said the state's tourism rich cultural heritage, along with its diversity, complemented socio-economic development.

Karnataka aims to find a desirable destination on the world map. The amazing beauty of Karnataka must be enjoyed by the next generation. This is our ambition. He said the state is taking the tourism step in that regard.