New Delhi [India], Following the success of Ujjain's newly developed 'Mahakal Lok', Madhya Pradesh is expanding its religious tourism efforts with plans to develop three new religious destinations. The launch of Mahakal Lok has significantly boosted religious tourism in the state, with visitor numbers soaring from 32.1 million in 2022 to 112 million in 2023.
The state government now plans to develop three more religious tourist attractions - Devi Lok in Salkanpur, Hanuman Lok in Chhindwara and Ram Raja Lok in Orchha.
"There has been a tremendous increase in traffic, mainly from religious tourists. As you know, we host two important Jyotirlingas at Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar, and the newly created Mahakal Lok is attracting numerous tourists from India and abroad," Bidisha Mukherjee, manager additional. the head of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board told ANI.
Mukherjee also announced that like Mahakal Lok, new initiatives are being taken up for Devi Lok, Hanuman Lok and Ram Raja Lok to further boost tourism in the state.
"We are going to develop 'Devi Lok' in Salkanpur, which is the Shakti temple; 'Hanuman Lok' in Chhindwara; and 'Ram Raja Lok' in Orchha, famous for the Ram Raja temple. These new projects aim to harness the success of Mahakal Lok and attract even more tourists," Mukherjee said.
The MP Tourism Board is also collaborating with international embassies to increase the influx of tourists globally. Scandinavian countries have shown great interest in the local festivals of Madhya Pradesh, including the Khajuraho Dance Festival and the Tansen Festival.
"We are in dialogue with several embassies, particularly in Finland. We were surprised to see that there were many tourists who had been to our 'Narmada Parikrama'. The embassies are very excited about our major festivals," Mukherjee added.
Additionally, the state is seeing a rise in the popularity of rural homestays, and the tourism board offers subsidies to local tribes to create authentic lodging experiences for tourists.
"To improve the safety of domestic and international tourists, we have trained over 10,000 women through Nirbhaya Fund in various forms of livelihood. Madhya Pradesh is becoming a preferred destination for women traveling alone. If you come to the Madai town, you can hire a gypsy rider So you can take her for a gypsy ride to the wildlife sanctuaries and national parks If you want a guide, you can hire a tour guide, in collaboration with the Nirbhya Fund, has trained them in everything mainstream that was predominantly done by their male counterparts," Mukherjee explained.
The state also recently launched 'PM Shri Tourism Air Service', connecting eight cities - Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Rewa, Ujjain, Gwalior, Singrauli and Khajuraho. This initiative, in association with M/s Jet Serve Aviation Private Limited under a public-private partnership model, aims to make intra-state travel more accessible to tourists.
The state government now plans to develop three more religious tourist attractions - Devi Lok in Salkanpur, Hanuman Lok in Chhindwara and Ram Raja Lok in Orchha.
"There has been a tremendous increase in traffic, mainly from religious tourists. As you know, we host two important Jyotirlingas at Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar, and the newly created Mahakal Lok is attracting numerous tourists from India and abroad," Bidisha Mukherjee, manager additional. the head of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board told ANI.
Mukherjee also announced that like Mahakal Lok, new initiatives are being taken up for Devi Lok, Hanuman Lok and Ram Raja Lok to further boost tourism in the state.
"We are going to develop 'Devi Lok' in Salkanpur, which is the Shakti temple; 'Hanuman Lok' in Chhindwara; and 'Ram Raja Lok' in Orchha, famous for the Ram Raja temple. These new projects aim to harness the success of Mahakal Lok and attract even more tourists," Mukherjee said.
The MP Tourism Board is also collaborating with international embassies to increase the influx of tourists globally. Scandinavian countries have shown great interest in the local festivals of Madhya Pradesh, including the Khajuraho Dance Festival and the Tansen Festival.
"We are in dialogue with several embassies, particularly in Finland. We were surprised to see that there were many tourists who had been to our 'Narmada Parikrama'. The embassies are very excited about our major festivals," Mukherjee added.
Additionally, the state is seeing a rise in the popularity of rural homestays, and the tourism board offers subsidies to local tribes to create authentic lodging experiences for tourists.
"To improve the safety of domestic and international tourists, we have trained over 10,000 women through Nirbhaya Fund in various forms of livelihood. Madhya Pradesh is becoming a preferred destination for women traveling alone. If you come to the Madai town, you can hire a gypsy rider So you can take her for a gypsy ride to the wildlife sanctuaries and national parks If you want a guide, you can hire a tour guide, in collaboration with the Nirbhya Fund, has trained them in everything mainstream that was predominantly done by their male counterparts," Mukherjee explained.
The state also recently launched 'PM Shri Tourism Air Service', connecting eight cities - Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Rewa, Ujjain, Gwalior, Singrauli and Khajuraho. This initiative, in association with M/s Jet Serve Aviation Private Limited under a public-private partnership model, aims to make intra-state travel more accessible to tourists.