(This article was published in Organiser Magazine dt. 03 December 2017).
Gujarat and
Gujarati loves tourism. I mean to say Gujarat is great center of tourism and
Gujaratis are great tourists who visit from Char Dham to Kanyakumari and from
US to Thailand. But until Narendra Modi became chief minister and he decided to
promote Gujarat tourism in big way, Gujarat was lesser known for tourism. People
from out of Gujarat used to visit Dwarika, Ambaji, Somnath and Palitana
temples. Who had imagined that dry desert can be also a great spot for tourism?
It can be only visionary person like Narendrabhai who can imagine and develop
Kutch desert as tourism place.
Actually Kutch
was devastated after major earth quake of 2001. But due to BJP government’s pro
active efforts and religious NGOs help Kutch was developed like never before. At
this time, Narendra Modi was doing great work overall in Gujarat regarding road
connectivity. And Kutch was also included. In 2005 Narendrabhai decided to host
Rann Utsav. He knows importance of marketing and promoting. So his government
promoted this festival in a big way. This festival provides glimpses of Kutch
as well as Gujarat culture. Be it paintings or dance, dresses, handicraft
things or any other culture programme hosted during the festival, everything
echoes Gujarati culture.
Narendrabhai
also ropped mega star Amitabh in to promoting Gujarat tourism. Well written
slogans like Gujarat naheen dekha to kutch naheen dekha, Kuchh din to guzariye
Gujarat mein and Khushboo Gujarat Kee, script, locations, direction and presence of Amitabh
Bachchan made ads very popular. It helped in promoting Gujarat tourism very
well. Even seven years after this campaign, state still manages to hold on to
impressive growth rates in tourist footfalls. It has accomplished a 16.94 per
cent growth in tourist arrivals in FY17 over the previous year.
Moreover,
Narendra Modi promoted Navratri festival in big way by hosting Vibrant Navratri
programme since 2004. This programme projects not only Gujarati culture but
national and international culture too. Many national and international stars
come here for performing arts. This festival also helped to promote Gujarat
tourism.
This year
present chief minister Vijay Rupani government took it to next level by promoting
‘Selfie With Cow’! Seculars only love chicken and hate cows. Due to constant
vicious propaganda, new generation also start to love chicken and hate cows. But
in this Vibrant Navratri, four month old calf Saraswati was key attraction.
Saraswati adorned in green Navratri dress wearing silver anklets and earings. BJP
leader and chairman of state Gauseva Ayog and Gauchar Vikas Board Vallabh
Kathiria said, “Selfie with Saraswati' is the
cow board's initiative to attract youth towards cow and inculcate love and
respect towards gaumata”.
International Kite festival is
also big opportunity to attract not only national tourists but international
tourists in a big way.
Efforts started by Narendrabhai
way back in 2010 to get Ahmedabad declared as world heritage city saw result
this year when UNESCO made this announcement. This will help to boost Gujarat
tourism and Gujarat culture.
CM Vijaybhai Rupani also launched
Seema Darshan programme at zero point of Nadabet border in Banaskantha
district. It is a concept of border tourism which helps tourists to realize how
our Jawans live and fight at border and boosts not only tourism but patriotism
in our countrymen too. Exhibition of arms, border view, film about BSF, retreat
of Jawans, BSF fusion band, camel show and bird show are main attractions of
this border tourism. Added attraction is darshan of Nadeshwari Mata.
And now Gujarat Tourism
Corporation has added a new tourism package! It is named ‘Modi tourism’!
Tourists taking this package will get visit of Vadnagar and places around it.
It is well known fact that Vadnagar is birth place of Narendra Modi. Gujarat
can launch this type of tourism because Vadnagar is well developed during Modi
government period and then afterwards Anandiben-Vijaybhai governments. Can there
be Amethi or Raibareli tourism?
Today Sabarmati River front has
become one of major tourist point. Before Narendra Modi took over as CM,
Sabarmati used to be dry bed and youth used to play cricket there. But Modi
government brought Narmada water into Sabarmati. And he also developed River
front. Now there is water sports adventure in Sabarmati. Even, when Rahul
Gandhi, vice president of Indian National Congress decided to hold Samvaad
programme to raise unemployment and non development issues in Gujarat recently,
he choose Sabarmati River front as location!
Last month Vijaybhai inaugurated
lion safari park at Ambardi in Amreli district.
The park has been developed by carving out around 400 hectare or four
square Km area out of Ambardi reserved forest.
Recently Gujarat tourism baged
‘Hall Of Fame’ award for being the Best State in comprehensive development of
tourism category at the National Tourism Awards.
But there are more things that
can be done to attract more tourists in Gujarat. There are many places that can
be developed and promoted through advertise campaigns. Here are some:
1.
Kranti Teerth
Mandavi is a city based in Kachchh district. It has beautiful seashore. There
is Vijay Vilas Palace which is historic. Many films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
are shot here. And more over there is Kranti Teerth a memorical of Shyamji
Krushna Varma who was great freedom fighter. Nobody thought to bring back his
ashes from Geneva but Narendrabhai and then birth place was developed as Kranti
Teerth where one can know about freedom fighters.
2.
Gopnath
Located 70 km away from Bhavnagar, the beach is on the Gulf of Khambat. It
is rich in biodiversity and natural beauty. This beach is famous for the
Gopinath Temple where famous Krushna Bhakta and ‘Adya Kavi’ Narsimha Mehta
pleased Bhagwan Shiv. Shiv gave him Darshan. There are many beach places in
this strip like Hathab, Kuda and Mahuva.
3. Nishkalank Mahadev
Nishkalank Mahadev temple is located in Koliyak village at Bhavnagar
District. This temple is unique in a way. Bhagvan Shiv here is well-known as
Nishkalan Mahadev. There an idol of Shivjee was situated in an island, over the
sea about 2 km to the east part of Koliyak village. That is very holly place.
Sea itself performs Jalabhishek on Shiv Ling. It is said that Pandavs got all
sins washed away here as they established Nishkalank Mahadev.
4. Blackbuck National Park
One remember well black buck as it
is alleged that Salman Khan killed blackbuck in Rajasthan. But this blackbuck
national park is situated in the Bhavnagar district. It was established in
1976. Population of the park mainly includes blackbucks, wolves, Macqueen's
bustards, hyenas and lesser floricans, with foxes, jackals and jungle cats as
the main carnivores. Other species include wild pigs, hares and rodents typical
of the savannah type grasslands and thorn scrubs.
5. Pirotan Island
Pirotan Island is an Arabian Sea island. It is known for Marine National
Park, Jamnagar District of Gujarat state, India. It is located 12 nautical
miles (22 km) off the coast (Bedi Port), consists of mangroves and low-tide
beaches. Here tourist can see various marine life forms that include various
types of Crabs, Neptune, hermit crab,
sea scorpion, wiper iscoceles, sea horse, octopus etc.
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