Hyderabad : Three-day Telangana Tourism Conclave 2018 organised by FTAPCCI in association with the Global Panorama Showcase Ltd, Nagpur and Government of Telangana kicked off here at Hyderabad today. Azmeera Chandulal, Minister for Tourism & Culture, Government of Telangana inaugurated the conclave by lighting the lamp. Mr. B. Venkatesham, Secretary, Tourism, Govt of Telangana; Mr. Gowra Srinivas, President, FTAPCCI; Mr. Harmandeep Singh, Managing Director, Global Panorama Showcase; Mr. Hari Kishan Valmiki, Chairman – Organising Committee, Tourism Conclave, FTAPCCI; Mrs. Sunitha M. Bhagawat, Commissioner of Telangana, Govt. of Telangana and others graced the occasion. A Report on “Telangana Tourism – Positively Transforming” was released by the Minister.

 

Speaking immediately after the inauguration in his welcome address Mr. Gowra Srinivas said that Tourism is the driving force for India’s economy. He said that Tourism is continually expanding and is the largest contributor to the GDP of the country. It plays a vital role in socio-economic progress and infrastructure development globally, he said. In 2017, contribution of travel and tourism to GDP (percentage of gdp) for India was 9.4 %. Mr. Srinivas said that the International tourist arrivals grew by a remarkable seven per cent in 2017 to reach a total of 1.3 billion. Arrivals in South Asia grew 10 per cent, while India registered 15% growth. Travel and Tourism sectors created 25.9 mn jobs in India in 2017 and added Rs 5 Lakh crore to GDP according to a KPMG Report, informed Mr. Srinivas.

 

Speaking on Telangana, Mr. Srinivas said that Telangana is blessed topographically and historically, it has hills, wild life, forests, temples, holy shrines, architecture and culture. The Telangana government has started various initiatives and Sports Tourism, Eco-tourism, Holiday Tourism, etc. are gaining popularity. Mr. Gowra Srinivas said that though Telangana is the 29^th youngest state and the fastest growing state and is doing good, it has to project lesser known tourist spots in places such as Warangal, Karimnagar, Adilabad, etc.

 

The three-day Telangana Tourism Conclave is to conclude on Saturday. The Day 2 and 3 will be purely Business to Business meets. The conclave expects 50,000 business meets to happen. About 100 exhibitors are expected to showcase their properties, tourism services informed Mr. Hari Kishan Valmiki, Chairman – Organising Committee, Tourism Conclave, FTAPCCI.

 

Mr. B. Venkatesham, IAS, Secretary Tourism, Govt. of Telangana in his address said that Tourism, Travel and Hospitality industry is the most suitable for future prospects. It is the most future perfect / future-proof business. He said that India has not touched even 1% of its potential. India registered only 10 million foreign tourists arrivals last year.

 

For the population of 30crore in US, it has 14000 airports, Brazil for 25crore population has 4000 airports.  Indian has just 75 functioning airports for 120crore population, Venkatesham added. 

 

He said that only 0.5% of Indian population travel by air today. Even if we go to 10%, our airports will be overcrowded and resemble bus stops and railway stations. Hyderabad Airport constructed in 2008 is already overcrowded as the 0.5% population that travels by air has gone upby to 0.6%, he said.

 

Hyderabad has many unique things to offer, Mr. Venkatesham said. He gave examples of Buddhist sites, He said that Telangana has more than 30 big monuments of Buddhism. It is also the case in Jainism, Islamic Artforms and Architecturte, etc. Telangana is also home to the biggest monolithic statue of Buddha, Biggest museum by single individual which houses 42,000 art pieces but only about 14,000 are put on display. He said that Hyderabad is the meeting place of North and South and the melting pot of religion and culture. If there is one city that represents India it is Hyderabad and it one state that it is Telangana. He said that Hyderabad is home to Bengalis, Kannadigas, Tamilians, Malayalis, even Armenians, Iranians, Persians, etc. Hyderabad is a mini India, in fact a mini world, he opined. He urged the gather of travel organizers, tour operators, etc. to explore the state and showcase it.

 

Telangana Minister for Tourism and Culture Mr. Azmeera Chandulal in his address said Telangana state has made tremendous progress in the last four years. It is putting all efforts to develop tourism in the state. New projects have been taken up in Mahaboobnagar, Warangal and Karimnagar, he said. He invited people to set up businesses and explore tourism in the state of Telangana.

 

In the knowledge sharing seminars organized after the inaugural, Mr. G. Kishan Rao, Vice-Chairman and Mananging Director, Yadadri Temple Development Authority shared the plans of the Government to develop Yadagiri Gutta Temple on par with the Tirupati Temple. In his presentation, Mr. Kishan Rao said that out of the more than Rs.1200 crore budget allocated for the project, already Rs.500 crore has been spent. Yadadri is being developed as a massive complex of religious and tourist activity, he said. Not just the temple, but a ‘Temple City’ is being developed said Mr. Rao. Even the nearby Baswapuram lake is being developed on par with Brindavanam (Mysore). Efforts are on to complete the Yadadri Temple by October 2018, he said.

 

Speaking on ‘Urban Parks – Greenery impact on Tourism’, Mr. R.M. Dobriyal, IFS, Addl. Pri. Chief Conservator of Forests, Govt. of Telangana said that the Telangana Govt. is developing 188 reserve forest blocks in and around Hyderabad into Urban Forest Parks. Around 30 forest parks have been developed so far. The state has 3 National Parks, 7 Sanctuaries and 2 Tiger reserves. There is a lot to explore for tourism development in areas adjacent to the Parks. In his closing comments, Mr. Dobriyal asked the industry people to join and make Telangana state clean and green.

 

Ms. Anitha Niranjan, M.D., CIMGLOBAL, Bangalore that it is Advantage Hyderabad for Medical Tourism. Hyderabad has connectivity, best medical facilities, supporting infrastructure, talent, etc. suitable for medical tourism. Ayush and integrated Ayush treatments can be the USP of India, she opined. Outlining the challenges for medical tourism, she listed stake holders education, VISA facilitation, Regulation, Airport facilitation, Post-surgery care, etc. as areas of concern.

 

Mr. Tajamul Hussain, President, En Suite Group spoke on new marketing trends in Tourism and Hospitality. He said that Personalisation, Video, Mobile Messaging Apps, Artificial Intelligence, Chatbots, Virtual Reality, etc. are the new arenas for marketing of tourism.