Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Tourism and Culture (IC), Govt of India and Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat recently inaugurated the two-day event/meeting on destination management and community participation in Gujarat. The event was organized by the Ministries of Tourism and Culture in cooperation with the Government of Gujarat at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
Speaking on the occasion, Patel said that Kutch has emerged as unique tourist destination in Gujarat. Destination development not only develops the tourism industry but also promotes local culture, traditions and community. It was also stated that tourism development is about change in perception and policy and not only capital investment. He indicated that the Government of India is giving major importance to developing Dholavera as one of the Iconic destinations.
Rupani welcomed all dignitaries and referred to 2001 earthquake wherein Kutch region was totally devastated. However, with the vision of Prime Minister of India, the region of Kutch (White Rann), with its unique geography, culture and heritage has been transformed into a major tourist attraction. Rupani said that this would be an ideal case study for destination management. He expressed his immense pleasure that Dholavera and Somnath have been selected for development under Iconic destination development scheme of Government of India. He also highlighted that the Statue of Unity was developed in a record time which is serving as good example of promoting Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat vision of Prime Minister.
Jawahar Chavda, Tourism Minister, Government of Gujarat mentioned about various tourist attractions in the state such as wildlife, spirituality, nature, places associated with Gandhi’s life and World Tallest statue – the statue of Unity.
During the inaugural event, an MOU was signed between Government of Gujarat and ITDC for providing consultancy towards innovative and decorative lightings and illumination at various monuments and Sound and Light show at various locations in the state of Gujarat.
The meeting aided in understanding the concepts & frameworks, approaches, challenges faced in implementation and impact generated by such initiatives on the society & the overall economy. One of the major objectives was to understand the synergy between Culture and Tourism and how both can collaborate at policy, design and implementation levels to develop both tangible and intangible assets to achieve overall tourism growth in the country.
The event highlighted on benefits to local communities by way of imparting skill sets necessary for prudent hospitality industry and cross-cultural learning exchanges to improve employability of the local people. Socio-economic benefits for the community could be enabled by making them lead the development initiatives. Challenges and issues related to destination management such as comprehensive planning, community participation, carrying capacity, etc. was discussed during the meeting.