Barcelona as tourism model for Varanasi?

Varanasi: If Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative of signing MoU with Japan is likely to take his constituency and historical city of Kashi on Kyoto way to become a smart city, the state government might well look at Barcelona as a development model under World Bank (WB) funded Pro-Poor Tourism Development Programme for the Buddhist Circuit and Agra-Braj corridor of Uttar Pradesh.
“Barcelona has a surprising history of tourism growth. Just 35 years back this city had hardly any tourist inflow, but now there is an annual footfall of 2.80 crores,” said district magistrate Pranjal Yadav, who returned from WB sponsored Santiago Compostela (Spain) trip on Tuesday. He was part of the WB sponsored trip of state government officials before allocation of funds under Pro-Poor Tourism Development Programme begins. The government’s objective is to get ideas for world class arrangements and facilities for tourists to incorporate in its plans.
Yadav had gone with a delegation of UP government and tourism department officials to attend United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at Santiago in which religious authorities and experts of tourism from across the globe participated from September 17 to 20. The delegation of Indian officials gave a presentation on Mahakumbh fair during this conference.
The official who studied the topography of Santiago and also Barcelona said, “Both these cities have narrow lanes and roads with historical buildings and monuments like Varanasi. The sanitation and maintenance at both these cities was outstanding.” The officials learnt that the budget of tourism sector of Barcelona is of Rs 400 crores and 98% of it comes from public private partnership. The conserved history of place in 42 museums and lanes of souvenir shops were also lessons for project designers.
Yadav said that keeping the experience of Barcelona in mind, the government machinery will focus on removing hurdles coming in the way of conserving heritage zones of Varanasi and developing it as an ideal tourism site. The officials are also thinking seriously to explore the possibility of private partnership, which is key in changing the fate of city like Barcelona, he added.
The UP government will have to make hurry in incorporating the outcome of this visit because the fund allocation by WB is expected after January 2015 after which the programme can come on floor. The basic exercises for the programme had already been done by the state government in the last 12 months.
Pro-Poor plans to focus on Buddhist circuit, Agra-Braj corridor
Varanasi: To use tourism as an anti-poverty tool, the tourism department of UP had submitted a proposal to the World Bank (WB) to seek a loan of $410 million for launching a Pro-Poor Tourism Development Programme in the state by focussing on Buddhist circuit and Agra-Braj corridor in July 2013.
The WB had agreed to invest a fund of Rs 1,800 crores for this programme. The state officials had given presentation during the 31st steering committee meeting of the department of economic affairs (DEA), Union ministry of finance in July 2013. District magistrate Pranjal Yadav was also a member of this team.
The proposal prepared by keeping two important tourism magnets (Varanasi and Agra) in view after a meeting of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav with the WB’s country director in September 2012. An agreement was done for funding seven sectors, including tourism. After a presentation session, the WB asked the tourism department to submit the proposal through DEA. On June 17, 2013 the state cabinet approved this proposal with a commitment to contribute 30% of the loan amount.
Major investment has to be done on assets rehabilitation and infrastructure provisions, policies and institutional strengthening, project management and local economic development. The intervention strategy will be based on increasing stay of tourists, social mapping of stakeholders in tourism and their inclusion in the project, development of hard and soft infrastructure, publicity and marketing of destinations.
Developing nearby tourist sites, heritage walks and trails, illumination, light and sound shows, evening entertainment, interpretation centres, museums, theme parks, bazaars, food and souvenir streets, way side amenities, public utilities and road signage are also part of the proposals of this programme.
A four-member team of WB led by Stephinia Martin had held a series of interactive workshops, visits of villages in vicinity of Sarnath and meetings with the officials of tourism department, the district administration, the Archeological Survey of India and NGOs in January.
The WB team had sought selection of villages with handloom and handicraft specialties in the vicinity of Sarnath to develop as model villages for tourist attraction. The