Following its recent curtain raiser programme on ‘Caravan Tourism – India by Road’, industry body PHDCCI is planning to soon submit a comprehensive White Paper on Caravan Tourism to the Union Ministry of Tourism. As part of the initiative, this will be further followed by similar White Paper/ Concept Note that PHDCCI will subsequently submit to the various State Tourism Departments in North India after conducting similar workshop/ seminar in these States in association with the local stakeholders. This information was shared by senior PHDCCI officials on the sidelines of the function.
The event was widely attended by key travel trade organisations participating in the curtain raiser function with their senior most functionaries, Senior Government officials from Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, National Highway Authority of India, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department and a number of stakeholders from allied sector including road transport.
According to Yogesh Srivastav, Senior Secretary, Tourism, PHDCCI, the curtain raiser function was aimed at PHDCCI’s effort to help boost Government’s effort in effectively promoting tourism in the country, and especially aiding Government’s effort to introduce potential new tourism products as a catalyst of growth and development.
Srivastav informed that PHDCCI will conduct workshops on Caravan Tourism in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in the months of July and August respectively. The dates are yet to be finalised. Similar events will be organised in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh in North India.
According to Srivastav the concept note that PHDCCI will submit to the State Governments following workshops on Caravan Tourism in their state will be unique to each state and will be submitted after due diligence and local market inputs by the stakeholders. The concept note will highlight benefits to the destination, product’s viability, attractiveness and potential in attracting various segments of tourist travellers, its socio-economic benefit to the local economy etc.
Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Tourism, Government of India in his keynote address, said that Caravan is a great tourism product for family as well as independent travellers and if needed can also address the shortages of hotel rooms during the peak demand season.
Rajiv K Vij, PHD Chambar Tourism Committee Chairman and Managing Director, Carzonrent, in his presentation, stressed that road travel is the best way to explore a destination, which makes Caravan Tourism a potential sector that needs to be developed. Subhash Goyal, President, IATO; Subhash Verma, President, ADTOI and Padma Shri award winner and ATOAI Past President, Ajeet Bajaj also gave a strong endorsement to the product.
Representing Madhya Pradesh Tourism, first and currently the only State Tourism Department to venture in the Caravan Tourism segment, O V Choudhary, Chief General Manager, Operations & Marketing, made an impressive presentation informing that Caravan Tourism, launched in 2011 as ‘Holiday on Wheels’, has opened new tourism avenues in the state. The State Tourism Department is now exploring new opportunities to expand its presence in the segment.
Choudhary informed that since its launch in 2011, the State Tourism Department has recorded a turnover of about Rs 20 lakhs in last two financial years selling as many as 660 packages with just three vehicles. The Board is now expanding its caravan offering and infrastructure while at the same time exploring private investment and PPP venture in this segment.
