Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda “2025”

7/29/2019 Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

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T- 11

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening ReportFor

Integrated Tourism Development ofUdaipur


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Initial Screening Report: T-11 Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur Page 2

Top Sheet for ISR: Integrated Tourism Development of UdaipurTitle DescriptionBackground Udaipur lies at the centre of the Mewar region. Udaipur

forms a convenient entry point for tourists entering theMewar region. The city is today famous for its lakes,

palaces, mansions, havelis, temples, and museumsThe Project An integrated tourism development project for Udaipur, with

focus on identification and development of new tourismproducts

ProjectObjectivesand Scope

The overall objective of this project is to enhance thetourism potential of Udaipur, with a view to increasing thenumber of tourists visiting the town, prolonging stay, andimproving overall tourist experience. The main projectcomponents include: 1) Restoration of lakes in Udaipur, 2)Restoration / development of important gardens in Udaipur,3) Water Sports at Badi Talaab, etc.

ProjectDemand

Drivers

The biggest attraction for tourists visiting Udaipur hastraditionally been its lakes, gardens, and palaces. The city

now faces its biggest challenge as most of its lakes are dryand some of its lakes are thought to be dead on account ofexcessive boring. Most of the citys important gardens arealso somewhat neglected

Project costestimate

The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 70 lakh withthe following break up: 1) Development of tourism products Restoration of important gardens Rs. 20 lakh, 2)development of tourism products Water sports at BadiTalaab Rs. 50 lakh

Opportunitiesfor privatesector

The proposed water sports facility at Badi Talaab could beset up by private developers, for which the investment isestimated to be about Rs. 50 lakh. Private sectormaintenance of some of the important gardens is alsosuggested

Project RiskAssessment

There may be some risks relating to the availability of waterunder the different options suggested for restoration oflakes. Cost implication for restoration of lakes in case ofoption 3 may make the viability of option 3 in question

ProjectBenefits

The project would generate significant direct and indirectbenefits. The benefits in terms of increase in direct output,indirect output, income and employment would be to thetune of Rs. 83 crore, Rs. 88 crore, Rs. 28 crore, and 40,000person years over five years

ProjectImplementatio

n structure

The lake restoration and restoration of gardens wouldrequire government support for implementation. Private

sector participation is envisaged for the water sports facilityand for maintenance of gardens

RajasthanInfrastructureAgenda 2025


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1. Project Concept

Udaipur lies at the centre of the Mewar region, which consists of the

region around Udaipur, including the districts of Udaipur, Rajsamand,

Bhilwara, and Chittaurgarh. Udaipur forms a convenient entry point for

tourists entering the Mewar region. The city was built by the Sisodia

Rajputs of Mewar, who migrated to Udaipur after the fall of

Chittaurgarh in 1567. The city is today famous for its lakes, palaces,

mansions, havelis, temples, and museums.

The major tourist attractions of Udaipur include the following:

City Palace: The largest palace complex in Rajasthan, consists of

several palaces which have been added by successive rulers and

integrated into one

Lake Palace: Regarded as one of the most beautiful palaces in

the world, afloat on Lake Pichola, and situated on the island of Jag

Niwas, this is now a popular luxury hotel

Saheliyon-ki-bari: A garden laid out for the women of the royalhousehold on the banks of Fateh Sagar, with fountains and

pavilions

Jagdish Mandir: Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the largest and most

splendid temple of Udaipur

Sajjangarh (Monsoon Palace): A palace astride a spur on the hill,

can be seen from most points in Udaipur

Crystal Gallery: A gallery located in Fateh Prakash Palace, with a

display of items made of crystal, furniture specially ordered for the

royal house, etc.

Udaipur is one of the six cities in Rajasthan covered under RUIDP,

and most support urban infrastructure projects have already been

covered under RUIDP. However, there are certain components that

have not been taken up under RUIDP, but which are likely to provide



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direct benefits to tourism development. These have been included as

part of the integrated tourism development project for Udaipur, which

focuses on the following key areas:

1. Access to Udaipur To identify constraints in accessing the city

2. Potential Review of Tourist Sites Products To identify projects

that can improve the quality of experience at important tourist sites

3. Access to Tourist Sites To identify current constraints in

accessing tourist sites within and around Udaipur

4. Support Urban Infrastructure at Tourist Locations To identify

urban improvement projects that could enhance the overall tourism

experience most of these are however already covered under

RUIDP

5. Primary Tourism Infrastructure To identify projects opportunities

in areas such as accommodation, etc. in Udaipur

The overall objective of this integrated tourism development project is

to enhance the tourism potential of Udaipur with a view to increasing

the number of tourists visiting the city, prolonging stay, and improving

overall tourist experience.

2. Project Beneficiaries

The project beneficiaries include the population of the city as well as

floating population, i.e. mainly tourists. As per the 2001 census, the

population of Udaipur was 3,89,317.

Tourist arrival figures for Udaipur for the last five years are shown in

the exhibit below.

Tourist inflows into Udaipur1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Domestic

Tourists5,75,088 5,78,622 7,35,333 6,62,826 4,71,576

ForeignTourists

78,267 78,708 77,174 56,760 1,01,303

Total 6,53,355 6,57,330 8,12,507 7,19,586 5,72,879

Source: Tourist Reception Centre, Udaipur



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Clearly, tourist arrivals to Udaipur have been declining over the last

two years. The reasons for the decline in tourist arrivals may be traced

to both external and internal factors. Amongst the internal factors are

that many of the lakes and gardens in the city, traditionally its biggestattraction, are currently in a state of disrepair mainly due to lack of

water / development.

The focus of the current project is to identify projects that would

provide a direct boost to tourism by helping to increase the number of

tourists visiting Udaipur, and improving their overall quality of

experience.

3. Demand

Mentioned below are the demand drivers for the various components

of the integrated tourism development project for Udaipur. These have

been identified / developed based on discussions with stakeholders

and a cross-section of tourists, who expressed current limitations and

bottlenecks.

3.1 Access to Udaipur

Udaipur is fairly well connected by road (especially with Gujarat) and

air (there is an existing airport at Udaipur). Also, since the

Ahmedabad-Udaipur highway falls under the Golden Quadrilateral

project of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is

under implementation, connectivity by road will improve further,

especially with Ahmedabad, which has the added advantage of having

an international airport. Rail connectivity however is via meter gauge

from Udaipur to Jaipur currently. Projects for broad gauging of Udaipur

with Chittaurgarh and Chittaurgarh with Ajmer are however going on.



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3.2 Potential Review of Tourist Sites Products

The biggest attraction for tourists visiting Udaipur has traditionally

been its lakes, gardens, and palaces. The city now faces its biggestchallenge as most of its lakes are dry and some of its lakes are

thought to be dead on account of excessive boring. The lack of rains

has not only contributed to making the lakes dry, but has also

prevented natural overflow, and thereby the cleaning of the lake. With

a lot of filth being thrown in, the lakes are mostly dirty. Most of the

citys important gardens are also somewhat neglected. These factors

have contributed to the decline in tourist arrivals to Udaipur in the past

few years. In order to ensure sustained growth of tourist traffic to the

city, it is therefore critical that restoration and development of lakes

and parks, etc. be carried out.

3.3 Access to Tourist Sites

Most of the tourist sites within the city are well connected, and road

connectivity of Udaipur with select tourist sites in Banswara and

Dungarpur is also in good condition, since most of these roads have

been taken up for improvement already. These road connections are

important since Banswara and Dungarpur are often packaged with

Udaipur. Banswara and Dungarpur are both places with a lot of

natural scenic beauty. Dungarpur is famous for its unique architectural

style, with some beautiful palaces and forts (such as Udai Bilas

Palace, Juna Mahal, etc.), archaeological sites, and ancient ruins.

Banswara has valleys and lakes in abundance, an impressive palace,

and also a lot of scope for water-based activities such as angling, etc.

No projects have therefore been envisaged in this category.

3.4 Support Urban Infrastructure at Tourist Locations

Most support urban infrastructure projects for Udaipur have already

been covered under the RUIDP project for six cities of Rajasthan. The



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few remaining projects which have not been included as part of

RUIDP are unlikely to provide a direct boost to tourism, and have

therefore not been included here.

3.5 Primary Tourism Infrastructure

Udaipur currently has a number of hotels across different categories

and price ranges, and these should be sufficient to cater to demand in

the near future. No other constraints with respect to primary

infrastructure were identified.

4. Project Description and Cost Estimates

This section details the various components described in the previous

section, alongwith preliminary cost estimates.


No major constraints with respect to access to Udaipur were

expressed, and no projects under this category have therefore been

identified.


This category includes projects for restoration of lakes, maintenance

of gardens, etc., and are briefly described below:

1. Restoration of lakes in Udaipur: Most of the lakes in the city

(including Fateh Sagar Lake, Swaroop Sagar Lake, Kumharia

Lake, Rang Sagar Lake, etc.), which have traditionally been one of

the prime attractions of Udaipur, are currently running dry or are

nearly dry because of low rainfall in the last few years. Various

short- and long-term options for restoration of lakes would need to

be assessed. While detailed options for the same, and preliminary

cost estimates for these, have been discussed in the Initial



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The recycled water under RUIDP could be pumped back into the

lakes

The Mansi Vakal III project could be brought forward and this

could act as a permanent source of water for the lakes

Of the existing Mansi Vakal project, the water that is currently

being allocated to Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) could be used first

(without treatment) for recharging the lake, and the recycled water

could be given to HZL from the existing Fateh Sagar Lake

Pumping Station

In addition to exploring options for restoration of lakes, efforts also

need to be made to ensure that the lakes are kept clean. As

mentioned earlier, the lack of rains, by preventing natural outflow,

has also contributed to the lakes being dirty. Efforts therefore need

to be made to maintain the catchment areas of the lakes. This

involves preventing indiscriminate destruction of the catchment

areas by construction and mining / industrial activities, which

greatly impede the natural flow of water. Also, the indiscriminate

construction of small anicuts and checkdams would have to be

discouraged.

2. Restoration / development of important gardens: Some of the

large gardens of Udaipur (such as Gulab Bagh, located within

Sajjan Niwas Garden, and Saheliyon-ki-bari) are in need of

restoration / development and better maintenance. Gulab Bagh

has a large collection of roses from all over the world and also a

large variety of indigenous flora, but the garden is currently slightly

neglected. Saheliyon-ki-bari has a number of fountains, flower

beds, etc., but also needs some restoration work



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3. Water sports at Badi Talaab: Badi Talaab is one of the lakes

situated within Udaipur city. The lake has a lot of potential to be

developed as a centre for basic water sports, such as parasailing,

water skiing, canoeing, etc. This could be on the lines of theAdventure Sports Centre which has been set up by the Rajasthan

State Sports Council at Jaisamand Lake. Facilities for parasailing

etc. are available at the Centre. Similar activities could be started

at Badi Talaab, which has the advantage of being conveniently

located within the city, as opposed to Jaisamand Lake, which is

located about 50 km away from the city. Shops, restaurants, etc.

could also be set up around the lake

A summary of the components described above, and cost estimates

for these, is presented in the exhibit.

Summary of Cost Estimates Review of Tourist Site ProductsS. No Name of w ork Estim ated

cost ( Rs.Lakh)

1 Restoration / development of important gardens 20

2 Water sports at Badi Talaab 50

TOTAL Sum of 1-2 70


No projects envisaged for improving access to tourist sites, as no

constraints with respect to access identified.


No projects envisaged under this category.

4.5 Primary Infrastructure

Primary infrastructure within Udaipur was found to be largely

adequate. Some of the soft issues raised during our discussions are

addressed in the common section on state-wide policy suggestions in

this report.



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5. Project Economics

This section makes an assessment of project viability for each of the

components detailed in the last section, and in turn analyses whether

any of these projects could be taken up on public-private-partnership

basis. Each component is assessed separately.


No projects identified under this category.


The project economics for review of tourism products could be

analysed as follows:

Restoration of lakes: While detailed options for restoration of

lakes, and their project economics will be discussed in the ISR for

industrial water supply to Udaipur, it is unlikely that the direct

revenue streams as a result of lake restoration would make the

projects commercially viable. These projects would therefore have

to be carried out by the government itself. The maintenance ofsome of the lakes or areas around the lakes could be privatised on

contract basis

Restoration / development of gardens:The maintenance of

most of the large gardens is currently looked after by the PWD /

UIT, and some part of the cost of maintenance is recovered from

the entry fees charges to users. As mentioned earlier, some of the

large gardens require restoration / development and better

maintenance. For this, two options could be considered. One is

that a committee consisting of representatives from the concerned

body (PWD / UIT) maintaining the garden currently, alongwith

other government institutions, could be set up. Institutions such as

the Horticulture Department of the Agriculture College, Udaipur,

which has technical expertise in this field, could be included.



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These institutions could either operate on a fee-based system for

maintenance, or options could be explored whereby they carry out

maintenance in return for opportunities for research work involving

the fauna etc. Maintenance of these gardens should be carried outusing well-defined performance criteria. The other option is to

privatise the maintenance of these parks on contract basis. Well-

defined performance criteria would need to be worked out upfront

in this case as well

Water sports at Badi Talaab: Setting up water sport facilities

would involve upfront investment in equipment, such as rafts, etc.,

land levelling, walkway, setting up shops, restaurants, and other

facilities around the lake, etc. The facility could be set up by the

private sector, though the involvement of institutions such as the

Rajasthan State Sports Council, which is currently operating the

Adventure Sports Centre at Jaisamand Lake.







6. Assessment of Project Risks

On the basis of discussions, the following risks are envisaged for this

project:

There may be some risks relating to the availability of water under

the different options suggested for restoration of lakes.



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Cost implication for restoration of lakes in case of option 3 may

make the viability of option 3 in question

7. Structure of the Project and Government Support required



7.2 Potential Review of Tourism Products

The suggested project structure for components of the review of

tourist site products have been analysed as follows:

Restoration of lakes: As mentioned before, while detailed options

for restoration of lakes, and their project structuring will be

discussed in the ISR for industrial water supply to Udaipur, these

projects would most likely have to be carried out by the

government itself. The government could consider imposing a

limited period cess on all hotels in the city to part finance the cost

of such restoration because the hotel industry is likely to be one of

the biggest beneficiaries from round-the-year water in the lakes ofUdaipur.

Restoration / development of gardens:As mentioned earlier, for

the restoration / development and operation and maintenance of

the large gardens, either a committee consisting of representatives

from the concerned body (PWD / UIT) maintaining the garden

currently, alongwith other government institutions, could be set up,

or the same could be bid out to private parties against collection of

entry fees. Well-defined performance criteria would need to be

worked out upfront in both cases, and a proper monitoring

mechanism would need to be in place

In case the responsibility for operation and maintenance of the

gardens wrests with the government, it is suggested that a



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maintenance fund be created out of a city development levy

(discussed as part of overall policy initiatives for select tourist

towns) on guests staying at hotels in Udaipur. This could be in the

form of a surcharge added on to the total hotel bill. The rates couldvary for tourists from within Rajasthan (Rs. 10), outside of

Rajasthan but from within India (Rs. 25), and outside the country

(Rs. 100). On the basis of current tourist arrivals, this charge

would generate a fund of over Rs. 2 crore in the first year itself

Water sports at Badi Talaab: The facility could be set up by the

private sector, though the involvement of institutions such as the

Rajasthan State Sports Council, which is currently operating the

Adventure Sports Centre at Jaisamand Lake, could also be

explored. Water sports facilities the world over are usually set up /

managed by a club with representation from its stakeholders.

The club, which is funded by its stakeholders, is responsible for

managing the purchase of equipment, etc., maintenance of the

water sports facility, etc. It could also encourage / sponsor local

sportspeople in local or nation-wide water competitions, etc. This

would serve a double-edged purpose encouraging tourism as

well as promoting local sportspeople. There would of course need

to be a proper monitoring mechanism for the developers









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8. Conclusion

A preliminary assessment of the benefits as a result of the integrated

tourism development scheme for Udaipur city was carried out. It has

been assumed (conservatively) that over the next five years, the

number of tourists (both domestic and foreign) visiting the city

increase by 10% per year, and the average stay increases by one

night for both domestic and foreign tourists. This should be possible,

given also the impact of RUIDP and the industrial water supply project

proposed for Udaipur (which is covered in another ISR). Based on a

multiplier analysis, estimates of the economic benefits of the scheme

are presented in the exhibit below.

Domestic Foreign Total Domestic Foreign Total Domestic Foreign Total

Number of

Tourists 471576 101303 572879 835426 179,464 1014890 363850 78161 442011

Progress Report,

Deptt of Tourism

Average

Expenditure

(Rs./day) 500 700 500 700

Based on discussions

at field level

Number of

days stay 1 2 2 3 1 1

Progress Report,

Deptt of Tourism

Direct Output

(Rs. Lakh) 2,358 1,418 3,776 8,354 3,769 12,123 5,996 2,351 8347

Indirect

Output (Rs.

Lakh) 2,735 1,522 4,257 8,964 4,044 13,008 6,229 2,522 8751

Income (Rs.Lakh) 707 468 1,175 2,757 1,244 4,001 2,050 776 2825

Employment

Generated 7,286 6,354 13,640 37,427 16,884 54,311 30,141 10,530 40672

Multipliers Domestic Foreign

Department of

Tourism, Planning

Commission

Indirect

Output

Multiplier 1.16 1.073

Income

Multiplier 0.3 0.33

Employment

Multiplier

(man years

per Rs.

Lakh) 3.09 4.48

Udaipur Source

2002 2008 Increment

As may be observed, the benefits in terms of increase in direct output,

indirect output, income and employment would be to the tune of Rs.

83 crore, Rs. 88 crore, Rs. 28 crore, and approximately 40,000 person

years respectively over the next five years.



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9. Summary of Costs

A summary of the project components mentioned earlier, alongwith

cost estimates and scope for private sector participation, is provided in

the table below.

Summary of Project ComponentsS.No

ComponentDescription

Cost (Rs.Lakh)

WhetherPrivate

SectorPossible

I nvt . byGovt.

I nvt . byPrivate

Sector

1 Development ofTourism

Products Restoration /

development ofimportantgardens

20 Yes formaintenance

20 0

2 Development ofTourism

Products Water SportsFacility at BadiTalaab

50 Yes 0 50

TOTAL 70 20 50

Most of the requirements for Udaipur are already covered under

RUIDP, and no major access constraints were expressed. Options for

lake restoration have been covered in detail in the ISR for industrial

water supply to Udaipur. The balance components, mainly

development of tourism products, have been included as part of this

ISR. Most of these components are likely to attract private sector

participation.

This integrated scheme could be put up for funding either from the

Government of India, or from bilateral / multilateral agencies such as

JBIC, the World Bank, etc. The scheme is important in order to give a

boost to tourist arrivals in Udaipur, which have been declining lately,

prolong average stay, and improve the overall quality of the tourists

experience.



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Annexure

Besides undertaking the water supply projects for domestic and

industrial users, it is important to look at restoration of lakes in Udaipur

which are critical to the tourism development of the region. In recenttimes due to low rainfall and over exploitation, the water level in most

of the lakes in Udaipur have gone below the sill level, which

technically should not have happened as these lakes are categorised

as wet lands and it is understood as per the guidelines of the honble

supreme court all wet lands should have at least water till sill level.

During our discussions with various stakeholders the following

suggestions came up for ensuring water availability in the lake city of

Udaipur. One of the options considered was the 12 MLD water that is

currently earmarked for HZL in the Mansiwakal I project be diverted to

the lakes, without treating. Since filling up of lakes would mean water

availability at Fateh Sagar Lake, HZL could meet its water

requirements from its existing pumping stations at Fateh Sagar lake.

To ensure that water shortage does not happen to HZL, government

would consider augmenting the source of water for HZL by creating a

pipeline from the proposed STP to Fateh Sagar Lake for supplying

recycled water to HZL as a back up.

One of the primary negatives of the above options is as to who would

bear the power cost of pumping water from Mansi Wakal I to the

lakes. Given the importance of lakes to the tourism development of

the region, the cost of pumping water to the lakes could be borne by

the tourist industry of the state wherein GoR could consider charging a

small surcharge on hotels / tour operators linked to there revenue for

the purpose of restoration of lakes.

The other option for restoration of lakes is to ensure that the

conveyance system for Mansiwkal I is the 11.36 tunnel, because if the

tunnel is used as conveyance system for the existing / proposed tanks

in wakal sub basin, there could be 200 to 400 mcft water annually in



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addition to Mansiwakal I dam water, which in turn could be used for

providing water to the lakes.

Yet another option would be to undertake Mansi Wakal IIIon priority.Mansi Wakal III is designed to utilize the excess water in Sabarmati

basin. Under this project, a dam is proposed to constructed near Biroti

village in Jhadola tehsil at a place which is 2 km from where Mansi

and Wakal rivers meet. Water will be pumped from the dam and

conveyed to Udaipur city. However, detailed survey, investigation as

well as design have not yet been prepared by PHED.

Yet another option for lake restoration is to use the recycled water

from STP for filling up the lake, as once the entire STP is operational

there would be enough water for meeting the water needs of industry

as well as the lakes. The design capacity of the STP is 20 MLD amd

the industrial water requirements for Gudli and Suker is only 3 MLD,

thus leaving approximately 17 MLD at full capacity. One of the

principal objection to this option would be that since PHED is using the

lake water for providing drinking water supply how can treated water

with BOD


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Project Concept NoteOn

Integrated Tourism Development ofThe NCR (Rajasthan) Circuit

T- 12


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Project Concept Note: T-12 Integrated Tourism Development of the NCR (Rajasthan) Circuit Page 2

The National Capital Region (NCR) comprises the region around

(extending to approximately 80 km from the city limits) and including

National Capital Territory (NCT) Delhi, and covers parts of the states

of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The tourist circuit linkingDelhi and the Rajasthan portion in (and around) NCR, is under-

exploited in terms of tourist potential and has a lot of scope to be

promoted as a weekend-destination circuit with Delhi as the base.

Towards Bharatpur

This circuit could target both domestic and international tourists

visiting Delhi as well as, perhaps more importantly, residents of Delhi,

which form a large target population (the total population of Delhi has

been estimated at approximately 1.38 crore according to the 2001



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census). Parts of the circuit (such as Bharatpur) could also be

combined with Agra.

There are various tourist places of interest, which could form part ofthis circuit (as highlighted in the map on the last page). Some of the

key places / attractions of tourist interest in this circuit include the

following:

Neemrana: Located just off the NH-8 from Delhi (at a distance of

about 122 km from Delhi), the Neemrana Fort Palace is situated

on a majestic plateau concealed in a horseshoe formation of the

Aravalli ranges. Neemrana is Rajasthans closest palace to Delhi

(journey time of approximately 2.5 hours from Delhi by road), and

has been renovated and turned into a hotel. The beginnings of the

Fort Palace date back to 1464 AD, making this Indias oldest

heritage resort. It also has an ancient 18th century stepwell (baoli)

with a unique architectural style prevailing at that time. The baoli

plunges steeply to the extent of eleven levels, and 170 steps lead

to the water

Sariska: Sariska is about 236 km south-west of Delhi. It takes

about 4 hours by road to reach Sariska from Delhi. The route

followed is NH-8 from Delhi to Shahpura via Behror, and then

about 37 km on the Jaipur-Alwar road via Virat Nagar and Thana

Ghazi villages. Sariska was the hunting preserve of the Royal

family of Alwar and is today a very important destination from the

wildlife tourism point of view it is famous for the Sariska National

Park, where antelope, deer and many species of birds abound.

Harder to sight are leopard, jungle cat, jackal, wild cat and hyena

Alwar: Alwar is about 36 km from Sariska. An outpost of the

Mughal Empire, Alwar has a number of forts and palaces. The

medieval Alwar Fort and the City Palace are particularly arresting

the latter houses a small museum. Other attractions include the

Vijai Mandir Palace on the outskirts of Alwar, as also the Chhatri of

Musi Rani, the Purjan Vihar gardens, Tomb of Fateh Jang, and



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Jaisamand Lake. Alwar could be visited as an excursion, with

Sariska as the base

Siliserh: Siliserh, 13 km from Alwar, is a good picnic spot. Siliserh

Lake is picturesquely set amidst the Aravalli Hills and attractshundreds of birds. It has basic boating facilities, so one can see

the birds up close. Siliserh Palace, overlooking the lake, is a

magnificent palace and hunting lodge

Bharatpur: Bharatpur lies about 185 km south-west of Delhi

(journey time of about 4 hours by road and 3 hours by rail from

Delhi, and about 56 km from Agra). The 29 square km Keoladeo

Ghana Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur was once the hunting ground

of the Maharaja of Bharatpur and later turned into a bird sanctuary

- it now ranks among the most visited in India. The Sanctuary is

full of exotic foreign winged birds that have migrated here from

across the globe including Siberian Cranes, which may be

sighted in wintertime. Boat rides can also be arranged if the

boating season is on. The Sanctuary is open all year round

Deeg: Deeg lies about 32 km from Bharatpur, and was the second

capital of the state of Bharatpur. Deeg has a huge fort and a

magnificent old palace, which lies inside the fort, apart from

beautiful gardens and a colourful bazaar. The massive walls of the

fort with 12 bastions offer a lot to explore. Some of the bastions

still have their cannons in place. Also, there is a Hanuman Temple

within the palace that the Maharaja used to pay his daily respects

Bairath: Earlier known as Virat Nagar, Bairath lies 66 km north of

Jaipur, along the Jaipur-Alwar route. Virat Nagar was the capital

of the legendary Matsayadesh. Frequent references to

Matsayadesh have been made in the Mahabharata. In the epic

period, the area around the districts of Jaipur, Alwar and Bharatpur

came to be known as Matsayadesh, with Virat Nagar as its capital.

The museum at Bairath, although not very large, has one of the

richest collections of artefacts. Excavated material, such as

pottery, old coins, seals, metallic pieces, weapons, and statues is

http://rajasthan.indiantravelportal.com/jaipur/http://rajasthan.indiantravelportal.com/bharatpur/http://rajasthan.indiantravelportal.com/bharatpur/http://rajasthan.indiantravelportal.com/jaipur/


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exhibited here.

Tourist arrival figures for some of the towns in this circuit for the last

five years are shown in the exhibit below.Tourist inflows into select towns in NCR circuit

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Alwar DomesticTourists

47,360 53,958 76,934 1,00,995 1,19,456

ForeignTourists

12,465 7,934 8,235 3,334 3,659

Total 61,823 63,891 87,169 1,06,330 1,25,117

Sariska DomesticTourists

10,706 11,949 15,559 11,817 11,277

ForeignTourists

8,325 9,551 10,854 12,351 3,633

Total 19,031 21,500 26,413 24,168 14,910

Bharatpur DomesticTourists 1,12,394 1,04,247 1,18,079 1,01,181 61,361

ForeignTourists

14,638 10,626 11,262 9,553 5,181

Total 1,27,032 1,14,873 1,29,341 1,10,734 66,542

Siliserh DomesticTourists

3,956 1,981 2,036 1,843 1,669

ForeignTourists

404 254 206 120 69

Total 4,360 2,235 2,242 1,963 1,738

Source: Annual Progress Report, Department of Tourism, GoR

As may be observed, tourist arrivals to destinations such as Sariska,

Bharatpur, etc. have been declining over the last five years. There

exists potential to increase tourist arrivals to these destinations by

combining them with Delhi in the form of the weekend-destination

NCR circuit suggested, for which a more detailed study would be

required to determine the components relating to areas (such as

access to the region and to tourist sites within the region, development

of tourism products, improvement of urban and primary infrastructure)

where improvements are required.


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Project Concept Note

OnConversion of Metre Gauge Line

BetweenMavli and Marwar Junctions

T- 13


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Project Concept Note: T-13 Conversion of Metre Gauge Line between Mavli and Marwar JunctionsPage 2

The tourist circuits Marwar (Desert) and Mewar - are projected to be

amongst the largest circuits in terms of tourist arrivals in Rajasthan in

five years time. Linking these two circuits by good road and rail

connections would therefore further boost traffic in both the circuits.

It may be mentioned here that the road link between Sanderao and

Amartiya (part of SH-16) has already been proposed to be widened

and strengthened as part of the project for Development of Tourism

Potential of Kumbhalgarh. This road link would also serve the purpose

of linking the Desert circuit with the Mewar circuit by road.

This is because Jodhpur is connected to Pali town via NH-65. Further,

Pali is connected through NH-14 with Sanderao (in Pali district).

However, the road linkage directly to Rajsamand (i.e. to NH-8) and

therefore to the Mewar region, i.e. the road from Sanderao to Amartiya

needs to be widened and strengthened, and this has already been

proposed to be taken up in the above-mentioned ISR (see exhibit

below).

In terms of rail connectivity, a metre gauge line currently connects

Udaipur to Jodhpur via Mavli and Marwar junctions. This line caters to

the needs of the Rajsamand, Amet, and Marwar areas, linking the hilly

track of south-eastern Rajasthan to the desert plains of west

Rajasthan (see exhibit overleaf).



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Project Concept Note: T-13 Conversion of Metre Gauge Line between Mavli and Marwar JunctionsPage 3

While the Marwar-Jodhpur section has been already converted into

broad gauge, and work is in progress on the Udaipur-Mavli section,

the 128 km long Mavli-Marwar section remains metre gauge. If this

link is also converted to broad gauge, then the Jodhpur region will bedirectly connected to Central India. This link will benefit tourism activity

in this region by linking the Marwar (Desert) and Mewar circuits.

A detailed study regarding this project would need to be taken up, and

the project needs to be implemented by the Railways for which the

state government needs to take up the initiative to pursue the same

with Railways.



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P- 1


Suggested Policy Initiatives for Tourism inRajasthan


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P-1: Policy Initiatives for Tourism Page 2

1. Introduction

As mentioned in KD-1, the envisaged rate of growth of contribution of

the trade and tourism sector in NSDP growth in Rajasthan is 10%.

The key assumptions presented as part of KD-1 for the tourism sector

are captured in the exhibit below.

Trade andTourism

(envisagedrate of growth

incontribution

to NSDP:10%)

Domestic Tourists

Foreign Tourists

Time and Money Spent

Contribution to tourismgrowth 5% pa



Envisaged GrowthRate

12%

7%

Average stayand spend tobe doubled

Focus Products /Regions

Forts / Palaces / Lakes Pilgrimage

Forts / Palaces / Lakes Desert

Trade &Entertainment

Rural / Heritage

Source: PwC Research and Key Deliverable 1

JaipurUdaipurJodhpur

AjmerPushkar

Nathdwara

JaipurUdaipur

Chittorgarh

JodhpurJaisalmerBikaner

Mt. AbuAjmerJaipur

Jhunjhunu

KotaJhalawar

Rajasthan has

competitive

advantages in tourism

The sector provides a

large proportion (direct

and indirect) of

employment

opportunities

Identification of the focus

districts would help in

focusing future efforts on

removing the

infrastructure bottlenecks

in these districts

Achieving the envisaged rates of growth for the sector would require

action on a number of fronts, including development of critical

infrastructure projects and implementation of key policy initiatives.

The critical infrastructure projects have been suggested as integrated

tourism development projects for various towns, for which initial

screening reports have been prepared. The integrated tourism

development projects focus on key areas such as improving access to

the town, developing tourism products, improving access to tourist

sites within or around the town, improving support urban infrastructure

at tourist locations, and identifying project opportunities in primary

tourism infrastructure.

The key policy initiatives that need to be taken in order to ensure

sustained growth of the tourism sector are presented in this chapter.



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These have been presented in a separate chapter because many of

these suggestions are common across the state.

2. Suggested Policy Initiatives

The main areas where state-wide policy initiatives are suggested have

been identified as follows:

1. Initiation of an annual marketing / trade event to promote

tourism in the state: Rajasthan as a tourism destination has a

small voice, market share, and level of awareness amongst

prospective tourists. The total experience that Rajasthan has to

offer is unique, but strong marketing and branding will be required

if it is to become a leading tourism destination in the future. Infact,

a key constraint that was expressed in most towns visited is that

there is currently lack of awareness of the town or circuit / region

as a tourist destination. Destinations such as Kumbhalgarh have

clearly suffered due to lack of proper marketing and awareness. It

is therefore suggested that an annual Rajasthan marketing / trade

mart at a specific location and date each year could be started on

the lines of similar trade events internationally. This would help

promote awareness of Rajasthan as a tourist destination (perhaps

taking up a certain region each time as its theme) and therefore

facilitate tourism growth in the state. This event should be

subsidized by the state and would be critical for marketing

Rajasthan as a leading tourist destination

2. Setting up of a Technical Secretariat for Tourism

Development in Rajasthan: One common feature of all

successful tourism development strategies across different

countries has been reliance on research (market intelligence) to

base strategic decisions. This clearly indicates a preference (and

need) for a market-oriented approach (i.e. give the customer what

he or she wants) rather than the more traditional production-



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oriented approach that is still followed in some countries (i.e. give

the customer what you think he or she wants). Infact, nearly 10%

of the annual expenditure of various Tourism Promotion Boards

(and / orCommissions) is set aside for market research. In thecurrent-set up in Rajasthan, there is little reliance on research to

base decision-making. Infact, there is a mismatch between

available research and the needs of the sector in the state,

because of which tourism research and information is not making

the contribution it should to the development of the sector in the

state. It is in this background that it is suggested that the state

should set up a Technical Secretariat to the Department of

Tourism. Such an approach, i.e. creation of a Technical

Secretariat outside of the government, is being taken by more and

more states.Though there is already a society in Rajasthan (the

Rajasthan Institute of Tourism and Travel Management -

RITTMAN) for tourism research / conducting specialized training

courses, etc., a Technical Secretariat could act as a nodal agency

for undertaking research activities relating to the tourism sector,

and could be responsible for the following:

Provide ongoing research inputs to the key decision makers

(market research would typically include demand estimation, e.g.

propensity of tourists from a particular country or region taken as a

group, to travel, segmentation (visitor arrivals by age, source,

mode of transport, income category, travel purpose, etc.), and

buyer behaviour (e.g. preferences of UK long haul backpackers

versus Korean group tours and Young Office Ladies from Japan).

This would involve developing research formats, co-ordinating

research activities, etc. All subsequent decisions relating to

product, packaging, promotion, pricing, etc., would then be driven

by these research outputs

Develop a tourism information system in the state to forecast

visitor arrivals (including numbers, length of stay, modes of arrival,

travel routes, expenditure, etc.)



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Provide advice to the government on a continuous basis on policy

development and implementation, management and

competitiveness

Assist in establishing sector standards and an effectiveaccreditation framework for tourism development in the state. Key

elements of this include the following:

Developing and implementing a single, integrated, effective

quality standards and accreditation framework for Rajasthan

tourism products and services

Gathering, analysing and disseminating information about the

fit between visitors expectations and their actual experience

Benchmarking international tourism standards and service

levels

Ensuring that operators have the necessary capability building

tools, training and assistance

Developing a business case for an industry-wide consumer

protection and complaints management framework

Facilitate development and structuring of viable tourism projects

on an ongoing basis

Carry out / co-ordinate marketing programmes and outreach

3. Maintenance of some key parks / historical sites within the

state by the private sector: At several locations, properties (such

as parks, historical sites, forts, etc.) are not being maintained

properly and even the responsibility for maintenance is not clearly

known. Proper maintenance of key properties is essential in order

to ensure that the tourist sites remain attractive to tourists. Some

key parks or sites of historical importance could possibly be

contracted out to the private sector for maintenance, for which the

financial parameters / guidelines and performance criteria would

need to be worked out upfront

4. Urban Local Body working with the Tourism Department for

maintenance of properties: An alternative where properties are



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not being maintained by the private sector could be that the Urban

Local Body is given the responsibility for maintenance, for which it

is monitored by the local Tourism Department. A possible model

could be the formation of a local-level committee chaired by theDistrict Collector for overseeing maintenance. It is suggested that

some part of the ULBs budget could be earmarked for

maintenance of the tourist places. Also, a maintenance fund could

be created out of a city development levy on guests staying at

hotels. This could be in the form of a surcharge added on to the

total hotel bill. The rates could vary for tourists from within

Rajasthan (Rs. 10), those from outside of Rajasthan but from

within India (Rs. 25), and those from outside the country (Rs. 100)

5. Role and location of Tourist Reception Centres (TRCs) /

Tourist Information Bureaus (TIBs): Currently, TRCs / TRBs are

mostly located at areas within the town that are not very visible to

the tourist entering the town. These are sometimes located at

places where a tourist would not normally even go. This has been

the case in a large number of towns visited. However, since a TRC

or TIB should be the first point of contact for a tourist entering the

town, there is a need to ensure that these are located at important

entry points / strategic locations. Also, the effectiveness of these

TRCS / TIBs was found to vary significantly across towns. At most

centres, these are operating out of a single room, are inadequately

stocked and have poor infrastructure in terms of vehicles,

computers, connectivity through internet, etc. Therefore, there is a

need to ensure that the TRCs / TIBs are uniformly effective in

terms of being well equipped with brochures, etc. and manned by

knowledgeable personnel. There might also be a need to rethink

whether TRCs could be renamed as TIBs, as the name TRCs

sometimes sounds a bit misleading to the tourist. It is also

understood that a pilot project for privatisation and computer

networking of TRCs / TIBs is being considered this could

possibly be replicated across the remaining TRCs / TIBs



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6. Accreditation of taxis: Most of the taxis in the state do not run by

meter. This often causes tourists to feel insecure and cheated. A

system by which tourist taxis are accredited to check exploitation

of tourists and promote uniformity in rates should be considered.This service could be launched on a state-wide basis, with the

operations being outsourced to a private agency. All registered

tourist taxi booking could be done through the same. Also, the

government could consider making it mandatory for new taxi

permits to be awarded only to accredited taxis

7. Government taking over some important heritage properties

for maintenance / preservation: At some locations, heritage

properties / monuments are not open to the public since these are

owned privately. This becomes a major limitation, because parts of

important tourist sites, such as historical monuments, palaces,

forts, etc., remain inaccessible to the tourist. In cases where it is

possible, the government might consider taking over some of

these properties on priority basis. It could also take up the

responsibility for restoration and development works, such as

construction of boundary walls for these properties, etc., and also

take over the maintenance function, at least initially

8. Preparation of tourism literature and other promotional

material: At most places there is inadequate literature on

important sites / monuments / forts, etc., which is a basic

requirement to promote awareness of a particular place. For the

publishing and distribution of brochures and other informational

material, the government could hire professional advertising

agencies and public relations firms, as well as involve the private

sector in planning and execution. It could also prepare short films

on the tourist sites and broadcast these in the visual media and at

other prominent places



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9. Strengthening the Tourist Assistance Force (TAF): It was

found that the efficacy of the TAF varies considerably across

locations. This is because the local TAF field officers are under the

control of the respective regional tourism department, whoseeffectiveness varies from location to location. There is a need to

make TAF uniformly efficient across locations by instituting proper

performance criteria and guidelines, which should be strictly

enforced. Making TAF more effective would help check incidents

of harassment of tourists, etc., which are quite common currently

10. Uniform for Guides: At a number of tourist places, it is impossible

to distinguish an accredited guide from those that are not. While

the solution lies in strict enforcement of the system of guides at

tourism locations, the same has been found to be ineffective. An

option therefore could be to introduce a dress code for guides,

which would help any tourist to easily make out the authenticity of

the guide, thus helping him or her to feel more secure and helping

reduce incidents of harassment, etc.

11. Setting up of Money Changers: Currently, money-changing

facilities in the state are mainly available through select bank

branches or through foreign exchange operators (i.e. authorised

dealers ADs, restricted money changers RMCs, and full

fledged money changers FFMCs). At some places, inadequacy

of such facilities was expressed, and with the growth of tourism

traffic in the future, there will be greater need for such facilities. To

ensure the setting up of money changers at important tourist

destinations, the government could consider making it mandatory

for the building plans of all new commercial establishments

(commercial complexes / hotels, etc.) beyond a particular size in

the major tourist centres of the state to include exclusive space for

money changers in their building plans. This would also encourage

the implementation of the new RBI policy on money changers,



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which allows agents / franchisees of ADs or FFMCs to offer money

changing facilities

12. Space for Local Taxi Operators: To ensure that adequate spaceexists in major tourist towns for housing local taxis, the

government could consider making it mandatory for building plans

of commercial establishments and hotels beyond a particular size /

category to include exclusive space for some, say 10 taxis at no

charges

13. Introduce an annual International Restoration Award: The

government could consider initiating an annual International

Restoration Award, wherein entries could be invited from national /

international students or organisations for submitting concept

plans for development of select historical sites. The top two or

three chosen plans could be felicitated, thus ensuring the visibility

of Rajasthan as well as providing an incentive to interested parties.

Another suggestion is for the government to initiate training

packages for conservation work involving national and

international craftsmen, artisans, professionals, etc.

14. Air services: There is a need for connecting important tourist

destinations by air the most important cities in this regard would

include Mt. Abu, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Ajmer, initially. Airports at

these locations need to be set up in a phased manner, as

availability of air services to these cities would result in significant

saving in travel time. It is suggested that some inter-city

connection be given so that tourists can commute to their main

destinations. This would require a fleet of small aircraft connecting

these centres. Thus, private operators who could start air taxi

operations would need to be encouraged


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Key Deliverable 4 - Tourism i

It may be noted, that the following projects i.e. T-12 to T-13,are additional projects that were identified during the finalround table at Jaipur during discussions with concernedGovt. departments / officials. Brief descriptions of theseprojects including economic rationale are presented in thesubsequent pages.

Documents

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda “2025”