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Travel & Hospitality Post
India Post
March 25, 2011
www.indiapost.com
Sahai for more thrust on domestic tourism NEW DELHI: Pitching for more stress on domestic tourism, Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai has called for developing lesser known tourist spots in the country. Chairing the first meeting of the reconstituted National Tourism Advisory Council (NTAC) here, he said the huge size of domestic tourism helps to sustain the industry irrespective of the variations in international travel. Sahai said the lesser known destinations in the country need to be developed so that the benefits of tourism activities reach far and wide, and contribute in balanced re-
gional growth of the country. Sahai said there is a need to enhance facilities at "our major pilgrimage centers which receive a large number of visitors." NTAC is a 'Think Tank' constituted by the government and comprises experts from various fields, representatives of industry associations like IATO, TAAI, CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, PHDCCI, FHRAI, as well as Ministries of Finance, Culture, External Affairs, Urban Development, Road Transport and Highways and Planning Commission. It advises the Government on various aspects of tourism with the objective of promoting
domestic and foreign tourism in the country. So far, 38 mega tourism projects have been identified out of which 26 projects have been sanctioned. The mega projects are a judicious mix of culture, heritage, spiritual and ecotourism in order to give the tourists a holistic perspective. Summing up the discussions Tourism Secretary RH Khwaja said that his Ministry has been working in close cooperation with the private sector for development of tourism. Khwaja expressed the hope that views emerging out of the discussions would help the Ministry as well as the hospitality and
travel industry to take longer strides in achieving our common goal of positioning tourism as an engine of economic growth. The Tourism Minister said that five subgroups of NTAC are being set up to formulate action plans in various fields of tourism. These groups will be on promotion and marketing, infrastructure, taxation and facilitation, human resource development and heritage, rural and eco-tourism. It was also decided that these Groups will work in mission mode and submit their respective action plans within one and a half months.-PTI
Udaipur: Feel royal in City of Lakes
(From left) Saheliyon Ki Bari, a girl in traditional finery, a view of City Palace and Lake Palace
fabric and saree, miniature paintCont’d from page 26 ings, mojris and leather trinkets "Your vehicle," the doorman jostle for space with yoga studios, announced again. By the Guava cookery classes, horse safaris, art Garden stood a beige tuk tuk. This galleries, cafes and kiosks‌ The was no dreary tuk tuk - it had or- city that stretches just about 6 kms ange, cushions, an ice box and a holds so much on its belly that you wonder how! Every conversation about Udaipur begins with the City Palace, a massive series of palaces on the east bank of Lake Pichola, a part of which is still the royal residence. The Mor Chowk borrows its name from A traditional thali served in The Leela's the glass mosaic, the Chini Chitrashala is liveried chauffeur. At The Leela, I famed for paintings of Lord had spurned the Vintage Car ex- Krishna while the Krishna Vilas cursion option and hopped into narrates the poignant story of a the tuk tuk and headed to the Old beautiful princess who killed herCity. The narrow non-macadam- self to avert a battle between her ized streets are flanked by tiny suitors! houses that look straight out of a The City Palace is always the sepia-toned history book; the first stop for any tourist, but it is walls are cluttered with miniature the Lake Palace which redefines paintings that Udaipur is so fa- romance. Set in the middle of Lake mous for and the entire stretch Pichola, the 265-year old palace looks like an extended shopping (now a hotel) looks surreal in its centre - painted figurines, embroi- pristine white. Not too far away is dered stoles and skirts, tie and dye the Jagmandir. History reveals that
Shah Jahan lay in hiding here for more than six months and the dome of this temple served as the prototype of Taj Mahal. That day in Udaipur, Tousif, the
The meal does not end with swoosh of your signature on the bill; it ends with a red thread on your wrist and pouch of your table's spice as a gift. In between ceremonies, the food seems fit for the gods chauffeur, was spewing gyan about all that makes Udaipur so special - mojris, miniature painting, Pichwai painting and the tie & dye art. And the story of Saheliyon Ki Bari at Fateh Sagar Lake, which was laid for the 48 maids of a queen who came to Udaipur as part of the dowry. There was so much more to see but by evening my knees had turned wobbly and I headed back to The Leela Palace
Kempinski for the traditional thali at the famed Sheesh Mahal restaurant. I pulled the black rattan chair and ordered a thali in the Sheesh
The meal does not end with swoosh of your signature on the bill; it ends with a red thread on your wrist and pouch of your table's spice as a gift. In between
Sheesh Mahal restaurant; miniature painting that Udaipur is so famous for.
Mahal. Not too far away, the City Palace, Lake Palace and Jagmandir shimmered with a million gig lamps. The restaurant tables are not numbered; they are identified by spices stashed in dainty glass jars. Here, food does not begin with a starter, in regal epiphany it is known as the 'ceremony'. Rose water is poured out of ornate jugs into a bowl cluttered with rose petals for the cleansing ceremony.
ceremonies, the food seems fit for the gods. As the trill of the cormorant melded with the hymn of the minstrel and the call of the muezzin, I, stood under the fuchsia velvet umbrella on the terrace and watched the glistening reflection of The Leela's starlit dome in the serene lake. For a moment, I forgot I was an ordinary mortal. I felt like a princess. (www.deepblueink.com)