Chhattisgarh Tourism Board announces new initiatives to boost tourism in the State

Chhattisgarh is fast catching up as one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in India. Recognizing the State's immense potential and with a bid to attract tourists to experience the exotic beauty of this unexplored place, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB), has announced innovative initiatives to boost tourism. The initiatives, which are aimed at spreading awareness about the ample tourist opportunities that the State encapsulates, include various programs in the B2B segment as well as a new 360 degree marketing campaign. Predominantly, the initiatives revolve around the marketing campaign that focuses on exploring new destinations that enrich holiday experiences in Chhattisgarh and the training program for travel agents to boost their storehouse of information on the tourist attractions of the State.

"I discovered¦,'-the underlying theme of the integrated advertising and marketing campaign draws from the pleasure and delight of experiencing the new and unknown. The campaign attempts to touch an emotional chord as it equates the experiences of going out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and centuries-old marvels of architecture, thereby enabling a traveler to re-discover oneself and nurture human relationships, amidst all the grandeur. The ads highlight on interesting facts like the ability of the Bastar Mynah to imitate human voices, the city of Huien Tsang existing as a pillar of Buddhism, centuries-old architectural wonders nestled in the State and many more, thus advocating the pleasure of possibilities.

In the forthcoming days, the campaign will roll out in print, television, Web and on social media. The advertising and marketing expenditures have been budgeted close to Rs.7 crores for a period of six months. The objective of the campaign is to attract domestic and international travelers and to undertake a focused program to build awareness.

The CTB board has recently partnered with Kuoni Academy to impart training to around 400 travel agents and tour operators to attract tourist footfalls to the State. Aimed at increasing awareness about tourism opportunities in Chhattisgarh, this training initiative is being undertaken across 9 cities in India, namely, Delhi, Bengaluru, Raipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Vishakhapatnam, Nagpur and Hyderabad in the first phase. Through this initiative shortlisted agents would be given insights about the tourist destinations in the State for a better understanding, thereby enabling them in better projection of State's tourist attraction. This program is scheduled to be conducted at the Kuoni Academy Centers by its faculty.

Furthermore, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board is also working towards offering customized packages to attract tourists from India and across the globe.