Bihar CM Nitish Kumar
The number of tourists in Bihar is constantly increasing. Bihar is a historically, religiously and culturally rich state. Famous for the great festival of Chhath. It has a special place on the world stage. These places also create immense potential for the development of tourism in Bihar. Keeping these possibilities in mind, the state government is making continuous efforts for the overall development of tourism in Bihar. Now plans are being made to make the traditional Chhath festival a tourism festival. Bihar Tourism Minister Nitish Mishra said this during a press conference on the occasion of World Tourism Day on Friday.
The tourism minister said that on the instructions of CM Nitish Kumar, the tourism department has initiated construction and development of hotels with modern facilities, development of means of transport, construction of ropeways at important tourist spots. Emphasis has been placed on building and developing infrastructure at tourist destinations. The number of domestic and foreign tourists is increasing. Devotees from all over the country are coming to Bihar for the ongoing Shravani Mela in Gaya and the current Pitru Paksha Mela. He said that around 5.46 lakh foreign tourists visited the state in 2023, while the total number of foreign tourists till July 2024 was 2.67 lakh.
Development of Mata Janaki’s birthplace
The Tourism Minister said that the government is continuously working for the development of Mata Janaki’s birth place. Plans for development are underway. 50 acres of land is being acquired for expansion. Plans are being made to turn the traditional Chhath festival into a tourism festival in the coming days. In which people from home and abroad will be able to see the event of Chhath Puja through a tour package.
My Block, My Pride campaign
Mera Block, Mera Garuda for tourist spot in every block and Bihar for social media influencers: From an influencer’s point of view, the competition is going to start from October 2, in which people can participate. Tourism Secretary Lokesh Kumar Singh gave detailed information about the plans of the tourism department. The press conference was informed that the Department of Tourism has given administrative approval for the new scheme of around Rs 509.78 crore from the state scheme head in the year 2023-24.
Development of Punaura Dham, birthplace of Maa Janaki
The Tourism Minister said that the overall development of Punora Dham is being done by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. An additional 50 acres of land is now being acquired in Punaura on the instructions of the Government. Along with this the birth place of Mother Sita has to be made convenient and grand for the devotees. Central government is constructing Ram Janki Marg from Ayodhya to Sitamarhi.
Other schemes for tourism in Bihar
Many schemes have been prepared for the development of tourism in Bihar. For example, Chief Minister’s Homestay/Bed and Breakfast Incentive Scheme. The scheme has been implemented at 29 tourist spots in 15 districts of the state. Bihar Tourism Branding and Marketing Policy, Bihar Tour Operator Travel Agency and Hotel Operator Incentive Scheme, Construction of three five-star hotels on PPP mode in capital Patna. etc.
Development and branding of eco-tourism
The tourism minister said that the northern tip of Bihar is the Terai region of the Himalayas, where the Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve is located. The hills of Kaimur, Rohtas and the reservoirs, waterfalls and forests of Munger, Jamui and Banka in the south of Bihar are also very scenic from the point of view of eco-tourism. The department is taking theme-based participation in major tourism events across the country. All major tour operators and hoteliers of the state have also been teamed up for networking purposes in these events.
Tourism Friend Training
The Tourism Minister informed that the Central Government is training selected tourist friends like hoteliers, traffic police, photographers, travel agents, vendor shopkeepers, auto drivers at Bodhgaya tourist destination through Institute of Hotel Management, Bodhgaya. Currently, the transport unit of Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation operates a total of 61 vehicles including one decker bus, one tourist, two convoys which are operated through charter booking, pre-paid counter and package door.
At present the transport unit runs Patna to Mundeshwari bus on PPP mode and with the objective of strengthening the transport unit and generating revenue, currently Patna-Purnia-Patna daily service is being run on PPP mode. Under the assets of Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation Limited, Patna, 32 hotels are operated on license basis, 12 are self-operated and tenders for 12 have been published at present.
