Tourism Minister of Karnataka H K Patil on Monday noted that the government has mobilised Rs 10 crore and identified 800 monuments for tourism development under the ‘Namma Smaraka’ Programme, in collaboration with private investors.
He was speaking at a conference of tourism ministers from South Indian States and Union Territories ahead of the upcoming Tourism Policy 2024-29. The Tourism Department is looking to develop the Roerich and Devikarani Estate near Bengaluru as an iconic culture, heritage and biodiversity site, he said.
“With several sites from Karnataka on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites tentative list, including the monuments and forts of the Deccan Sultanate, Srirangapatna Island Town, Badami and Aihole, Karnataka has a rich heritage of becoming a potential world class tourist destination,” he said and added that the Golden Chariot trips will be started soon in collaboration with KSTDC and IRCTC.
Shedding light on the ongoing coastal tourism project, he said: “We will be focusing on sustainable and responsible tourism development in Coastal Karnataka to ensure that our coastal areas remain unspoiled and available for future generations.” The coastal tourism project was initially proposed under “Swadesh Darshan 1.0” with an estimated cost of Rs 95.67 Crore, he noted.
He said that the first installment of the sanctioned project cost of Rs 45.71 crore for the development of Sri Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysuru is yet to be released. The state also awaits the first tranche of approved funding for the project proposals worth Rs 46.81 crore under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 programme for Mysuru and Hampi.
