To attract more tourists, the Rajasthan Government is working on innovating new products in the sector such as 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,” Rajasthan Principal Secretary (Tourism) Rakesh Srivastava said.

He was talking to presspersons on the sidelines of the Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB) being organised here jointly by the Ministry of Tourism, Department of Tourism (Rajasthan) and industry chamber FICCI, which has been organising it here since 2008. It is a pan-India international platform for inbound tourism.

Srivastava said in the short run, the State Government would focus on restoration of British-era infrastructure including heritage buildings, the Salt Museum, Circuit House and rail tracks.

In the long run, public sector undertakings Hindustan Salts and India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) will further create tourism infrastructure and promote it.

The State Government is also mulling over the creation of new tourist circuits such as Jaipur-Sambhar-Ajmer and mega tourist hub with Jaipur, being at the heart of it.

Other new tourism products that are being considered by the State include 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 such as adventure, ecological, archaeological, sports, rural and tribal tours in the State,” Bina Kak, Rajasthan Tourism Minister said while inaugurating the sixth edition of GITB.

“The State Government is working on ways to promote and implement these new segments in the State’s tourism sector,” said Kak.

The Minister added that 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.

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