RAJASTAN TO PROMOTE SALT TOURISM

To attract more number of tourists, the Rajasthan government is working on innovating new products in the sector like salt tourism. Sambhar (salt lake) is the largest inland salt lake in the country. The state government is taking steps to restore basic tourist infrastructure to promote it as a unique destination. In the short run, the state government will focus on restoration of British-era infrastructure like heritage buildings, salt museum, circuit house and rail tracks. While in the long run, public sector undertakings (PSUs) Hindustan Salts and India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) will further create tourism infrastructure and promote it. The state government is also mulling creating new tourist circuits like Jaipur-Sambhar-Ajmer and mega tourist hub with Jaipur, being at the heart of it. Other new tourism products that are being looked upon by the state to promote includes ecological, sports and adventure tours. "We have plans to change the face of tourism in Rajasthan which is known as a cultural destination, by developing other tourist attractions like adventure, ecological, archaeological, sports, rural and tribal tours in the state,” Bina Kak, Tourism Minister, Rajasthan government said. The state government is working on ways to promote and implement these new segments in the state's tourism sector. The state's tourism sector will not be able to achieve its full potential if it is only known as a heritage destination and does not focus on new emerging sub-sections...he added.