A Tourism Expo launched by the district administration here on Tuesday seeks to introduce Bidar as a tourist spot to the rest of the country through tour operators.
Tour operators from New Delhi, Kochi, Hyderabad, Hampi, Vijayapura and Maharashtra were taken round the old town on a Heritage Walk in the morning. History and archaeology experts took them around historical houses.
The tour started from Choubarah, passed through the small lanes of the old city lined with heritage houses, passed before the madrassa of Mahamud Gawan and ended at the Bidar fort.
B.G. Shetkar, president, Bidar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, who flagged off the heritage walk, said the local business community was eager to welcome tourists and provide them with good amenities.
According to Govindan Kutty, head of the team that prepared the heritage master plan for the city, Bidar has 350 houses that are over 200 years old and identified as heritage houses. At least ten per cent of them can be converted into heritage home-stays.
Resource persons would be invited to educate owners of heritage houses about turning their homes into home-stays.
Later senior officials interacted with the visitors at the Zilla Panchayat and promised them of proactive action.
At present, most tourists come from Hyderabad, stay here for a few hours and go back in the evening. M. Sultan from New Delhi pointed out that clean and neat hotels built at low budgets will encourage tourists to stay overnight.
B. Venkatachalam from Hyderabad said the city municipal council should construct toilets near public places.
Dusan Deak, a Slovak national and a frequent traveller to the country, suggested developing different circuits for tourists with different interests - such as forts and monuments; spiritual or religious themes such as sufi, Datta and Natha pantha traditions. For others, there were water structures like the Karez underground aqua-ducts, terracotta pipelines that supply water in heritage structures and the step wells in the nearby farms.
Vinay Malage, coordinator of youth association Team YUVA, suggested jungle treks for young travellers.
Deputy Commissioner P.C. Jaffer said the district administration was in talks with a few hotel chains. “We are hopeful of starting one soon”, he said.
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Sharat B., Assistant Commissioner Annies K. Joy, Assistant Director of Tourism Kishor Joshi, heritage engineer Shashikant Malli, city municipal commissioner Jagadish Nayak participated in the interactions.
