Vast untapped scope of tourism in Rajasthan: Diya Kumari

Rajasthan has a vast scope of tourism development, and in this direction, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) has an important role in fulfilling the resolve to make Rajasthan a leading state in tourism, said Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism Diya Kumari at a review meeting of the action plans of RTDC held at Tourism Bhawan on Tuesday.

She said that necessary work will be undertaken to boost RTDC to a profitable position to make Rajasthan the leader in tourism as compared to other states. For this, Diya said, tourism officers should take the initiative by evolving an action plan and they should be deployed in the field as much as possible. She urged the tourism officials to put in efforts to perform better continuously.

She said that RTDC should ensure that the budget announcements of the Tourism Department are fulfilled by working as an agency and those works are completed on time with quality.

Deputy Chief Minister urged the RTDC to ensure that the budget provisions of the Tourism Department are fulfilled by working in the spirit of an agency, and ensure that the works are completed not only on time but also with quality.

Principal Secretary Tourism, Art and Culture and Archaeology Gayatri Rathore, RTDC Managing Director Anupama Jorwal and other officers who also participated in the review meeting echoed the need to enhance the image of Rajasthan as the leading tourist destination in the country which accounts for major international and domestic tourist share in the country.

Earlier, Gayatri Rathore, said that Rajasthan tourism is undergoing vigorous branding efforts domestically and internationally, spearheaded by the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Diya Kumari. Recently, the successful organisation of the Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB) in Jaipur has garnered enthusiastic responses from foreign tour operators. Furthermore, Rajasthan has effectively positioned itself as a premier wedding destination through Wed in India expo in Jaipur. The Principal Secretary stated that ongoing initiatives are effectively positioning Rajasthan as the leading tourism destination. Due to these efforts, Rajasthan Tourism has significantly enhanced its participation in international travel expos and trade fairs, leading to a notable rise in foreign tourist arrivals.

It may be mentioned here that the erstwhile Jaipur royal family member and Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, who very well understands the potential of tourism in a State like Rajasthan, has in the last budget announced the setting up of a Rs 5,000 crore tourism infra fund, and also purposed to revitalise 20 tourist destinations with a corpus of Rs 200 crore, setting up a tourism board, and conserving the state's heritage through a new development authority.

The substantial influx of foreign tourists has highlighted Rajasthan’s global tourism significance. In 2023, the number of foreign tourists visiting the state surged by 328.52 percent compared to 2022. Concurrently, domestic tourist numbers surged by 65 percent. In 2023, Rajasthan welcomed a total of 18,07,51,794 tourists.