SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Dec 21: Jharkhand government is working on several plans including the promotion of sites and a study on the inflow of travellers to boost the tourism sector in the state.
Talking in this regard, state tourism secretary Manoj Kumar said that the government has selected a brand partner for publicising places of tourists’ interest and preparing a logo. He further added that the partner will also prepare a logo and souvenir for Jharkhand tourism.
“The agency has notably prepared a logo for Jharkhand tourism. The final approval has not been given yet,” he added.
“The state has many places that can attract tourists but branding has been an issue. There is no proper promotional programme on television or other platforms. There should be a message about why visitors must come and explore the state. Hence, we have hired a Goa-based branding partner for publicising spots of tourists’ interest,” Kumar said.
The department has also given a work order to study the tourists’ inflow, pattern and feedback through an agency, the secretary said.
As per information, it is a centrally sponsored scheme and the Central government has empanelled around a dozen agencies for this, of which the Jharkhand government has also hired one. The agency will study various aspects, including how many tourists come to Jharkhand and the hotels they prefer to stay in. It will also collect data from airports, hotels and railway stations.
Notably, the annual tourist inflow has increased from 4.53 lakh in 2000, when Jharkhand came into being, to over 3.50 crore in 2019-20, including 1.75 lakh foreign visitors.
“In a bid to make the state a more attractive destination for tourists, the government is working on setting up skywalks and ropeway facilities in different places. The process of hiring a consultant is underway for the two projects, informed the secretary. A tender was floated for the projects in November,” he added.
“No bids were placed for the skywalk project, while three submitted bids for the ropeway scheme and one of them was found eligible. So, we decided to go for second bidding for both the projects,” he said.
“Initially, one skywalk and one ropeway will be set up. For these, five sites have been identified. An expert agency will be hired for a feasibility study, preparing a detailed project report, cost estimation and supervision for the identified sites,” the official said.
Notably, of the five proposed sites, one will be selected for the skywalk and one for the ropeway project. If the agency does not find any of the identified sites suitable for the projects, it can suggest alternative locations.
The sites that the department has identified for these projects include Patratu in Ramgarh district, Netarhat in Latehar, Hundru, Jonha and Dassam falls in Ranchi district.
