Daijiworld Media Network - Goa / Mangalore
from special correspondent

Panaji, Sep 22: Karnataka government has opened up investment opportunities for hospitality players in the state’s tourism sector.

"We are creating land bank at potential tourism site.. Government will acquire land for the projects and land it over to the private players,’’ I M Vittalmurthy, tourism secretary, Karnataka government, told reporters in Goa.

Talking to the reporters on the sidelines of the tourism conference in Goa, Vittalmurthy said that the government will provide its land for 50 per cent of market price to set up hotels, theme parks and other infrastructural projects in the state.

"The talks are on with major hospitality players who have shown keen interest to invest in it,’’ the tourism secretary said.

The land owners who are ready to part away with their holdings can also be given equity in the projects, he stated.

Vitthalmurthy said that the land acquisition has become a major concern for tourism infrastructure and hence the state government has decided to intervene with the aid.

Karnataka receives 1.4 crore domestic tourists and five lakh foreign tourists.

"Since last five years, the state government has started considering tourism as a priority sector and initiated slew of marketing, promotion and infrastructure development activities,’’ he said.

The Karnataka government statistics revealed that there was 15 to 20 per cent increase in the tourism over last three to four years. Vittalmurthy stated that state’s tourism budget is also hiked from mere Rs 15 crores few years ago to Rs 148 crores in 2007.

"We are creating three main areas where we would welcome investment in tourism sector. The north Karnataka region which has heritage destinations like Hampi, Bijapur and Bagalkot, is one of the area where we are looking for investors to set up hotels, spas, themed restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and the like,’’ he said.

"The same set of opportunities lie in the southern heritage areas of Hassan and adjoining areas of Mysore,’’ he added.

The state has also decided to open up its 320-km-long serene and secluded beaches for tourism. ``Here the opportunities are for beach resorts with golfing facilities and mini-convention cenres,’’ Vitthalmurthy, who also intends to tie up with Goa tourism, stated.

Exploring its western ghats, the state government look up for facilities like ropeways, honeymoon hideways, spas, nature resorts and camps to come up in Shimoga, Uttar Kannada, chikmangalur and Kodagu.

He said that the tourism department wants more than 5,000 rooms outside Bangalore and more than 15,000 rooms within Bangalore very soon.

Karnataka tourism has decided to organize a dedicated tourism investment summit in Bangalore soon to showcase the tremendous opportunities for investors, Vittalmurthy added.