The three-year arrangement primarily aims at drawing an integrated model for promoting UP as an ultimate tourist destination. “Their work would involve strategic planning for branding of various destinations in the state,” said principal secretary, tourism, Mukesh Meshram, adding “UP’s tourism potential is beyond doubt. But there is a need to see and treat this strength in the light of a business plan so as to increase tourist footfall, increase revenue generation and create local employment.”
Putting things into perspective director IIM Indore, Prof Himanshu Rai said: “UP is a bonanza in terms of tourism – thanks to the diverse basket of choices it offers to those interested. It is home to ultimate spiritual sojourns to eco-friendly getaways and from ancient heritage to rural panoramic treats. This is in addition to the spiritually significant places like Prayagraj and Kashi.”
The MoU aims at translating this latent energy into actionable agenda which aids the state boost local economies and create jobs.”
The MoU owes its genesis to the quest for some pertinent questions like why does a foreign tourist leave Agra after visiting Taj Mahal? Or why tourists to Varanasi are not attracted by the natural beauty in Mirzapur and beyond?
Likewise, why are Sarnath and Kushinagar the only two most preferred Buddhist destinations when UP is home to six of the eight destinations close to the heart of every follower of Buddha? And why do names of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh come to mind first when it comes to Jain circuits when 18 of the 24 Tirthankaras are related to UP?
“Experts from IIM-Indore will brainstorm with UP Tourism officials to initially study major challenges and constraints faced by popular tourist destinations, undertake resource-need analysis for their development, dissect the revenue generation models and reinvent the work culture and bring them in sync with the industry standards,” said Meshram.
