Stakeholders bank on travel mart to boost Mysuru tourism

Mysuru: Chamaraja MLA Vasu has called upon guides to be savvy and stay themselves updated to promote tourism in Mysuru.
Speaking at the inauguration of three-day Mysore Travel Mart that began at Maharaja Ground here on Friday, he said: "Guides play an important role in promoting and giving information about tourist places. If they fail to give correct information to tourists, the latter will not only feel bad about guides, but it also badly affects tourism.They should be well versed in few languages, including English, Hindi and Kannada. In the days to come, tourism and hotel management students will also play a major role in promoting tourism. We can teach students syllabus, but they should know more about the ground reality. Tourism minister R V Deshpande, who has many ideas, is going all out in his efforts to promote tourism not only in Mysuru, but across the state."
Former minister S A Ramdas, who spoke on the occasion, said: "Gujarat government, because of its ambassador for tourism, is managing to attract many tourists. But Mysuru, despite being one of the tourist hubs in the country, has not been able to attract more tourists than expected. Mysuru is having more than 108 shooting spots and 23 historical temples. With over 400-500 foreigners learning yoga every year, the city has also become a yoga hub. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to make Mysuru a tourist place on the lines of Paris. Hope the travel mart acts as a platform to prepare a road map for 'Mysuru Hub', which can be handed over to Modi".
Suttur Mutt seer Shivarathri Deshikendra Swami said: "People residing here don't know the importance of Mysuru. But those living outside are overwhelmed by the beauty and environment of Mysuru. The city has good environment throughout the year. We have Ramdas who is from BJP representing the central government, and MLA Vasu from Congress representing the state government. They can handle any related issues so the city's tourism potential is tapped."
M Rajendra, president of Karnataka Pradesh Hotel Owners' Association, requested the state government to implement the measures promised in the last budget, which included the setting up of a botanical garden. He also requested the government to revamp entry tax, which is seen as a reason for the dwindling number of tourists coming into the state from other states.
B S Prashanth, chairman of Mysore Travel Mart, and Jayakumar, president of Mysore Travel Association, were present.