Scion of the erstwhile royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar pressed for making the ‘Heritage City’ as the tourism nucleus of South India.
Yaduveer, also Tourism ambassador for Old Mysuru region, was addressing a gathering during the inaugural ceremony of World Tourism Day, jointly organised by the district administration, Tourism department, Mysuru Palace Board, Mysore Travels Association and Mysuru Hotel Owners Association, on Mysuru Palace premises, on Thursday.
He said, South India has a good potential for tourism and is already a main hub of tourism. He urged the stakeholders to join hands to take the city to greater heights.
Earlier, Yaduveer launched virtual tours and augmented reality (AR), mobile application, developed by FlippAR, a Bengaluru-based company, along with the state department of Tourism.
District in-charge Minister G T Devegowda said, "Mysuru and many other places in Karnataka have potential to emerge as a popular destination in the world. The government is committed to developing tourism in the state and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has planned several projects to boost the tourism," Devegowda said.
"In a bid to popularise Mysuru Dasara and other tourist sites in the state, Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh is visiting France, to participate in promotion activities," he informed. Pointing out the importance of the Dasara Exhibition, the minister said, the intention of the expo is to spread the tradition and heritage of the state among the people. He said, the government has adopted digital media to promote tourism.
Pointing out at the potential of Mysuru as a tourism hub, MLA S A Ramdas said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Mysuru, had expressed that he was impressed by the grandeur and ambience of Mysuru Palace and the city. "The Union, as well as, the state government should concentrate on developing the city as a major tourist centre," he said.
“Though the World Tourism Day is being celebrated across the world, the celebration in Mysuru is different, as we celebrate the day in front of Mysuru Palace, which has the highest footfall of tourists in Asia,” he said.
Earlier, the dignitaries welcomed the visitors to the Palace, by offering flower, and folk artistes enthralled the visitors, particularly, foreigners, with their performance.
Corporator Lokesh and Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Sankar were present.