You must have dreamed of travelling in Palace on Wheels, a luxury train, however, its occupancy by foreign travellers never gave a chance to domestic travellers to take a tour on this lavish train. However, COVID-19 seems to be changing the equations.
Palace On Wheels is now wooing the domestic tourists by bringing in new itineraries and offering 30% discount to travellers.
Plans and ways to fight to COVID battle
As the world seems going stagnant fighting the COVID battle, the tourism industry in Rajasthan plans going the domestic way to battle the odds. Eventually, a domestic traveller will now have more chances to take a tour in their ‘dream train’. Let’s bring out a few plans being chalked out by the Travel Industry in Rajasthan to fight Corona crisis:
- An aggressive marketing campaign: Tourism stakeholders are chalking out strategy to undertake an aggressive marketing campaign to project Rajasthan as the preferred tourist destination for domestic tourists.
- New circuits to be developed: State tourism minister Vishvendra Singh says that new circuits will have to be worked on focusing on spiritual, wildlife and adventure tourism
- Palace on Wheel to focus on domestic tours: The luxury train, Palace on Wheel, enjoying around 98pc occupancy of foreign clients, shall now focus on domestic tours. The train’s itinerary will also be changed accordingly, said tourism minister Vishwendra Singh in a Rajasthan Revival Summit meet held here recently. This meeting was called by Rajasthan tourism stakeholders to plan out a strategy to revive the tourism industry which has been hit hard by COVID-19 crisis which witnessed multifarious suggestions on reviving tourism in Rajasthan in these times of global pandemic and post-Corona.
4. Reviving tourism department’s website: The tourism department website will be revamped and social media will be made more innovative and creative. Singh said that a committee on the health and hygiene issues has been formed within the Department. They will focus on the various health guidelines informed by the Health department to be followed.
5. Package for craftsperson and folk performers: On a suggestion made by internationally acclaimed Kalbeliya dancer, Gulabo, the tourism minister announced that craftspersons and folk performers need to be looked after during these times and a package will be organised for them as well.
6. Aggressive advertising campaign: It was suggested that the Tourism Department should undertake a proactive advertising campaign in the leading newspapers and channels.
7: Tying up of luxury train with private museums: MP Diya Kumari said the Palace on Wheels should tie up with private museums and monuments. This will give them a boost as well. She also emphasised on a proper health guideline to be given for the visiting tourist after the lockdown is lifted.
Representative of Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) and Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR), Randhir Vikram Singh said that there should be a toll-free number for the tourists so that they can get immediate information about the State. He also emphasised that film shooting was another potential area in which the Government needed to support by waiving off the fee and making the required permissions for shooting easier.