Agriculture and tourism will soon walk hand-in-hand in Uttar Pradesh. If the first indications of the joint ongoing study by the Confederation of Indian Industries(CII) and Yes Bank are taken into consideration, the scope of agri-tourism in the state is very promising. The study, which aims at tapping both the inland as well as the over 4 million overseas tourists who visit India every year, is in its final phases and will be submitted to the state government in December.
The concept is to tap the vast market of inland urban tourists who want to take a break from a mechanical life and enjoy the peace and tranquility of rural life in its natural abundance. Also, there are NRIs, who harbour a strong nostalgia for returning to their roots on their visits home and their curiosity to know how the rural landscape has changed after they had left over the years.
“The tourists who come to India will like to partake the culture that makes India such a hot tourist destination, said Sanjeev Chaturvedi, CII head in Uttar Ptadesh, “In the first phase, we will like to add on those foreign tourists who have come to visit India. Say for example, if a tourist has come to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, we will first try to add him on to this agri-tourism concept by suggesting that instead of seeing the Taj and returning back to Delhi, he can stay overnight at a nearby village and enjoy the environment. Real India, as we know, resides in the villages. We can also offer to show him around in the vicinity, arrange for a cultural activity and showcase our local handicrafts too. We can take him around to nearby places of interest, like for example, Firozabad, which is famous for its glass industry. Once these regular tourists are pegged on to this concept, we can start the second phase in which we can plan and market scheduled packaged itineraries for them.”
Agra and the Taj are just an example. The study is seeing whether the same pattern can be replicated elsewhere. For example, tourists who come to visit Lucknow can be offered to stay in the midst of thick orchards of Malihabad, which can be a dream holiday. Other important places of tourist interest in the state like Meerut, Allahabad, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Mathura, Jhansi etc, all can be worked out on the same lines, feels Chaturvedi. Along with its knowledge partner, Yes Bank, the CII is working on making the concept popular by roping in the state tourism department, the foreign embassies, travel agents and tour operators.