Karnataka’s tourism industry fared well in 2023. The state received 28.45 crore visitors, 10 crore more than the previous year (18 crore). While the numbers continue to rise, the tourism industry faces ongoing problems, particularly in terms of marketing and infrastructure.
The cause for the increase in travel is still attributed to vengeance tourism, a trend that originated around COVID-19. According to Ram Prasath Manohar, Director of the Tourism Department, revenge tourism, department marketing, and the Shakti scheme, which allows women to travel for free on State-run buses, all played a role in the increase.
Other players attribute it to the business sector’s innovative efforts in the last year to entice travelers with bargains and other incentives. Sanjar Imam, head of the Karnataka Tourism Forum, noted that more visitors may have visited the state if there had been more supporting infrastructure.
“Many people were unable to go during busy seasons since most hotels were fully booked. It’s unfortunate that individuals who want to visit Karnataka will be unable to do so because to this. “The government should help increase capacity by encouraging the private sector,” he said.
K. Syama Raju, president of the Karnataka Tourism Society, also agreed that tier-2 destinations require additional hotels. “There are enough of hotels in Mysuru and Hassan, but we need nice hotels in Hampi, Halebidu, and Vijayapura. The government has granted industry status to classified hotels, but we believe that regular hotels should also have it, and we are demanding it,” he said. He also stated that if the government grants land, private parties will create hotels according to the plan.
Mr. Imam stated that the capacity constraint also affects transportation options. “With government buses not being able to ferry all the tourists, even here they should encourage private players by giving them good-term loans,” the minister remarked. He went on to say that unless these issues are addressed soon, the state will lose its competitive advantage in tourism.
“If these issues are not addressed and we do not capitalise on the increase we saw this year, the numbers will fall next year. “If they (tourists) choose another destination, we will lose,” Mr. Imam added.
Only slightly more than 4 lakh foreign tourists were among the 28.45 crore visitors in 2023. Although this represents an improvement above the 1.28 lakh foreign tourists in 2022, stakeholders consistently state that there is room for improvement.
“We need more tourists from other nations and states. We need more attractions for this. For example, there wasn’t much to see in Bengaluru until the Nandi ropeway opened, which will enhance tourism. In Friday’s State Budget, more ropeways, spiritual tourism, watersports, and adventure tourism development were announced, and most importantly, permission was granted to continue commercial operations in Bengaluru until 1 a.m., which may result in an increase in the number of outside visitors,” Mr. Raju stated.
“We also require strong highway facilities. Washrooms and other basic amenities on state highways are also necessary to attract more tourists,” he said.
Referring to the Union Budget address, which mentioned promoting Indian tourism hotspots on a worldwide scale, Mr. Imam stated, “States should also take a leaf out of it and do their part to market destinations on a large scale.” In Karnataka, marketing occurs in spurts (as compared to other states), but a persistent campaign is greatly required.”