“Karnataka is an around the year tourist destination; UNESCO Heritage Sites, virgin beaches and wildlife tourism make it unique.”: T. Venkatesh, Director, Karnataka Tourism

August 2022: With an aim to increase domestic footfalls from Tamil Nadu, Telangana & Andhra Pradesh, the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka along with Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (KSTDC) organized Roadshows at The Westin Chennai Velachery (8th August), The GreenPark-Begumpet (10th August) & Novotel Varuna Beach (11th August) respectively to promote tourist places, hotels, resorts, homestays and service providers from Karnataka amongst the people of Chennai, Hyderabad & Visakhapatnam.

The event at Chennai was inaugurated by Mr. PK Gupta, Vice President, South India MICE Association, Mr. Venkat Reddy, Vice President, SKAL, Mr. VKL Balan, President, TTTHA, Mr. Chandrashekaraih HG, Joint Commissioner, Department of Tourism, Govt. Of Karnataka, Mr. Saravanan, SKAL & Mr. Krishnan, SKAL & Mr. Shivakumar, General Manager (Admin), Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation and Mr. Rohit Hangal, Director, Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions Pvt Ltd.

The event at Hyderabad was inaugurated by Ms. C Sujatha Cecelia, Secretary, TAAI – AP and Telangana, Mrs. Indiramma BG, General Manager (Finance), Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation, Mr. Manoj Kumar, IFS, MD, Jungle Lodges and Resorts, Mr. NSN Mohan, President, SKAL Hyderabad, Mr. Valmiki Kishan, Chairman, Tourism Committee, Telangana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Ranga Reddy, Chairman, IATO, AP and Telangana Chapter, Mr. Liaqat Ali, President, TOAT and Mr. Rohit Hangal, Director, Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions Pvt Ltd.

The event at Visaakhapatnam was inaugurated by Mr. K. Vijay Mohan, President, Tours & Travels Association of Andhra along with Mr. Ravi Rai, General Manager, Novotel Varuna Beach, Mr. Shivakumar, General Manager (Admin), Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation, Mrs. Indiramma BG, General Manager (Finance), Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation & Mr. Kumar, Secretary, Tours & Travels Association of Andhra and Mr. Rohit Hangal, Director, Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions Pvt Ltd.

A performance of ‘Puja Kunita’, an ancient art form of Karnataka was organised at all the locations to showcase the vibrant cultural heritage that Karnataka is known for. The roadshow brought together different aspects of Karnataka tourism such as nature, wildlife, adventure, pilgrimage, heritage, and many more.

“Karnataka is home to a large and exciting portfolio of globally acclaimed tourist attractions like UNESCO World Heritage sites, splendid wildlife and resplendent nature, virgin beaches etc. It is an around the year tourist destination. The roadshow series will provide impetus to domestic inbound travel and would enhance the marketing efforts of Karnataka Tourism to promote the state’s destinations to prospective tourists and the travel trade of Chennai, Hyderabad & Visakhapatnam.”

Mr. T. Venkatesh, IAS, Director, Department of Tourism

Karnataka Tourism’s main objective behind the event was to promote the state as a tourist attraction for leisure tourism, MICE – meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions, adventure and wildlife tourism and as a wedding destination. KSTDC is the nodal agency to conduct the roadshows in various cities of India. The state also offers an avid traveler a vast range of tourism landscapes such as archaeology, religion, ecotourism and handicrafts.

“Karnataka with its diverse range of tourism products is fast emerging as one of the most interesting and productive states for both leisure and business travel. Domestic tourism being the backbone of the tourism economy has a lot of potential which needs to be tapped. Post-pandemic, these roadshow activities will be an excellent occasion for our stakeholders to renew contacts with the travel-trade as well as tourists’.”

Mr. G. Jagadeesha, IAS, Managing Director, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation

The roadshow had B2B interactions and presentations that showcased the destination and also opened up new avenues to showcase Karnataka in a new light to the travel and trade community. Some of the stakeholders, who exhibited at the roadshow included Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation, Jungle Lodges & Resorts, Intersight Tours & Travels Pvt Ltd, Travelpro Holiday, TGI Hotels & Resorts, The Quorum Hotel, Royal Rich County, Skyway International Travels, Hilton And Hilton Garden Inn, Embassy Manyata Business Park, Welcomheritage Shivavilas Palace – Hampi, Trivik Hotels And Resorts Pvt. Ltd., Gamyam Align Yourself Classical Ayurveda & Yoga Retreat, Mookanana Resort, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd, Swastya Ayurveda, Birchwood Retreat, Tamara Leisure Experiences Pvt Ltd & many more. This exclusive B2B Roadshow had over 20 stakeholders from Karnataka and many discerning trade partners at each city.

About Karnataka:

Karnataka – One State, Many Worlds, is well known for silk, milk, coffee, honey and more is home to several forts, architectural marvels and is blessed with a rich cultural heritage. Other diverse visitor attractions include pilgrim sites, coastal landscapes and wildlife/national parks. The state offers a variety of tourism attractions that cater to the demand from different visitor segments, such as eco-tourism, wellness tourism and adventure tourism. Over the years Karnataka has emerged as one of the most sought after tourism destinations in the country, and also created a space for itself, in the international tourism circuit. As of 2019, the State was ranked as the third preferred destination among domestic tourists for 3 consecutive years.

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