Diverse bouquet

The Jog Falls. The Sharavathi river plunges from a height of 243 metres here.-PHOTOGRAPHS: BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Karnatakas Tourism Department has unveiled a draft policy that is aimed at making the State a top tourist destination.

FROM splendid temples dating back to over a millennium, to the breathtaking valleys and the lush green rolling hills of the Western Ghats, Karnataka offers a diverse bouquet of tourist attractions. Whether heritage tourism or adventure tourism, there are offerings across the State for both budget and luxury tourists.

Karnataka is home to 21 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks and 17 hill stations. It has 43 major cascades, including two of the worlds 50 best waterfalls, and an unspoilt coastline. The Western Ghats in Karnataka shelters more than 550 species of birds, 100 species of mammals and at least 73 species of reptiles. The forests are home to roughly 6,000 Asiatic elephants and nearly 400 tigers. The State ranks fourth in terms of domestic tourist arrivals and eighth in foreign tourist arrivals.

The stone ruins at Hampi, the erstwhile capital of the Vijayanagar empire; the caves of Badami; the temples of Aihole, Pattadkal and Lakkundi in Gadag; and the archaeological monuments left behind by the Bahamani kings in Gulbarga, Bidar and Bijapur are the major tourist destinations in north Karnataka.

The fort in Bidar, the famed Gol Gumbaz and other monuments of the Adil Shahis in Bijapur, and the Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah in Gulbarga are some of the important monuments of Bahamani architecture. The Mysore Palace and Srirangapatna, the erstwhile capital of Tipu Sultan, the Hoysala-style temple architecture at Belur, Halebid and Somanathpur, the monolithic statue of Gomatesvara at Shravanabelagola and the fort of Chitradurga are some of the important destinations in the southern Karnataka region. For those interested in the coffee-growing regions of Madikeri (Kodagu district) and Chickmagalur, home-stays can be an excellent way of exploring the area.

The Nagarhole National Park and the Bandipur National Park, which abuts the backwaters of the Kabini river near Mysore, the Bannerghatta National Park near Bangalore, and the other wildlife sanctuaries spread across Karnataka offer a diverse range of wildlife. The Jog Falls tops the list of waterfalls in Karnataka. Here the Sharavathi river plunges from a height of 810 feet (243 metres). Among other falls that attract tourists are the Sivanasamudra Falls, near Mysore, and the Abbey Falls and Iruppu Falls in Kodagu district.

The beaches along Karnatakas 320 kilometre coast remain largely unspoilt. They offer the potential of beach tourism in Mangalore, Malpe, Murudeshwar, Gokarna and Karwar. The famed temples of Kukke Subramanya, Dharmasthala, Kollur, Kateel, Anegudda, Hattiangadi, Sringeri and Udupi in Dakshina Kannada, Chickmagalur and Udupi districts attract pilgrims from far and wide.

In tune with the worldwide boom in the tourism sector, the States Tourism Department has unveiled a draft policy that is aimed at making Karnataka a top tourist destination. The aims of the policy for the period 2011-2012 include making tourism Karnatakas largest economic activity as an employer and as a tax generator.

Some of the celebrated places of tourist interest will receive priority status for integrated development, which is expected to make travel and stay comfortable for all classes of tourists. Mysore, Bijapur and Bidar will be tagged as heritage cities and will have comprehensive tourism master plans developed for each of them.

Seeking to market its tourism potential aggressively, among both travellers and investors, the new policy lays emphasis on new tourist activities such as cruise tourism in Mangalore; eco-tourism through jungle trails in the eco-tourism zone stretching between Kodagu and Karwar; heritage tourism around Hampi, Pattadakal, Badami, Aihole, Bidar, Bijapur and other places; health tourism in Bangalore; and culture tourism, by identifying one heritage building in each district for setting up a tourism house to showcase and develop indigenous arts and crafts.

The now-popular home-stays, which have made Kodagu and Chickmagalur districts more accessible to budget tourists, will have minimal regulation and will be treated as non-commercial ventures under the new policy. A minimal standardisation and classification programme is to be established and an inspection of a home-stay by any government agency will have to be authorised by the District Magistrate.

Though there are a large number of guesthouses and inspection bungalows, some of which date back to the colonial era, in the major tourists destinations, most of them are at present exclusively meant for official use. To bolster accommodation facilities for tourists, these buildings, now with the Departments of Public Works, Irrigation, Forests and Tourism, will be brought under the Public Accommodation Network.

Considering the violence faced by tourists, especially foreign tourists, in some States, Karnataka has decided to establish a tourism police force to ensure visible policing in key tourism areas. The force will also liaise with the local police in the matter of cases of offences against tourists.

Medium-term, from 2007-08 to 2011-12, and long-term, from 2016-17, strategies have been proposed in the draft policy. While the medium-term strategy seeks to improve infrastructure facilities in the various tourist zones in the State, the long-term strategy has been drawn to make Karnataka the leading tourism destination in South Asia and the leader in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and entertainment segments by establishing mega exhibition and convention centres and clusters.

Three world-class exhibition complexes will be established on the outskirts of Bangalore and Mysore, and another three to five theme and entertainment parks will be established on the outskirts of Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri and Bijapur. Emphasis will be given to the development of the Bangalore tourism master plan and to the setting up of a Karnataka tourism institute to impart training in tourism-related activities.

The new policy seeks to do away with the cumbersome procedures involved in the change of land use for tourism projects and will allow new projects to commence work. The conversion fee will also be not levied on approved tourism projects in zones falling under the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority and in special tourism zones.

Apart from this, incentives and concessions have been extended to the tourism sector, including hotels, resorts, and so on, with regard to luxury tax, stamp and registration charges, conversion fees, entertainment tax, entry tax and purchase tax. New tourism projects approved by the department on or after June 1, 2007, and on or before May 31, 2012, and expansion projects of approved units are eligible for incentives and concessions under the new tourism policy.