New Delhi [India], July 5 : Following the success of Ujjain's newly developed 'Mahakal Lok', Madhya Pradesh is expanding its religious tourism efforts with plans to develop three new religious destinations. The launch of Mahakal Lok has significantly boosted religious tourism in the state, with visitor numbers soaring from 32.1 million in 2022 to 112 million in 2023.
The state government is now planning to develop three more religious tourist attractions: Devi Lok in Salkanpur, Hanuman Lok in Chhindwara, and Ram Raja Lok in Orchha.
"There has been a tremendous increase in footfall, primarily from religious tourists. As you know, we host two major Jyotirlingas at Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar, and the newly created Mahakal Lok is attracting numerous tourists from India and abroad," Bidisha Mukherjee, Additional Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, told ANI.
Mukherjee also announced that, similar to Mahakal Lok, new initiatives are underway for Devi Lok, Hanuman Lok, and Ram Raja Lok to further boost tourism in the state.
"We are going to develop 'Devi Lok' in Salkanpur, which is Shakti temple; 'Hanuman Lok' in Chhindwara; and 'Ram Raja Lok' in Orchha, which is famous for Ram Raja temple. These new projects aim to build on the success of Mahakal Lok and attract even more tourists," Mukherjee said.
The MP Tourism Board is also engaging with international embassies to increase global tourist inflow. Scandinavian countries have shown a keen interest in Madhya Pradesh's local festivals, including the Khajuraho Dance Festival and the Tansen Festival.
"We are in dialogue with various embassies, particularly in Finland. We were astonished to see there were many tourists who had been to our 'Narmada Parikrama'. The embassies are very enthusiastic about our major festivals," Mukherjee added.
Additionally, the state is seeing a rise in popularity for rural homestays, with the tourism board offering subsidies to local tribes for creating authentic accommodation experiences for tourists.
"To enhance safety for international and national tourists, we have trained over 10,000 women through the Nirbhaya Fund in various livelihood streams. Madhya Pradesh is becoming a preferred destination for solo female travellers. If you come to Madai town, you can hire a female gipsy rider. So you can take her for a female gipsy ride to the wildlife sanctuaries and the national parks. If you want a guide, you can have a woman guide; the tourism board, in collaboration with the Nirbhya Fund, has trained them in all the major streams that were predominantly done by their male counterparts," Mukherjee explained.
The state also recently launched the 'PM Shri Tourism Air Service,' which connects eight cities: Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Rewa, Ujjain, Gwalior, Singrauli, and Khajuraho. This initiative, in partnership with M/s Jet Serve Aviation Private Limited under a public-private partnership model, aims to make travel within the state more accessible for tourists.
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