New Delhi: Endowed with natural beauty and rich in resources, Bihar is set to emerge as the new destination for adventure tourism.
The Central government has recently recognised adventure tourism as a niche tourism product, which inter alia includes water sports activities, to promote India, including Bihar, as a 365 days destination and attract tourists with specific interests.
To position India as a preferred destination for adventure tourism globally, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has formulated a National Strategy for Adventure Tourism. Officials said that the Tourism Ministry might pump in resources to help Bihar develop its natural resources to attract tourists around the year.
A National Board for Adventure Tourism has been constituted under the Chairpersonship of Secretary (Tourism), comprising of representatives from identified Central Ministries/ organizations, State Governments/UT, administrations and industry stakeholders, with the objective of operationalization and implementation of the strategy to promote and develop adventure tourism in the country.
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The board would strive to prepare a detailed action plan and formulation of dedicated scheme, certify the scheme for promotion of tourism, formulate safety guidelines, prepare plan for capacity building, replication of national and global best practices, assess the states’ policies and their ranking, devise ways for marketing and promotion, finalise destinations and product development, encourage private sector participation, specify strategies for adventure tourism and suggest other measures for growth of adventure tourism in the country.
In addition, coastal circuit was identified as one of the thematic circuits under the scheme of Swadesh Darshan for providing financial assistance to States/UT Administrations for infrastructure development. Apart from the above, Ministry of Tourism, through National Institute for Water Sports (NIWS), Goa, provides training to water sports operators through various skill developing courses and certify the trainees.
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A senior officer of the Bihar Tourism said that the department was working out plan to launch water tourism facilities in Ganga in diara areas, which play host to annual kite festival on Makar Sankrati, and at other places in Rajgir. There are a lot other scope for development of waterfalls in Nawada and Kaimur to attract tourists in large numbers.
