Dr. Rashmi Sharma IAS discusses Rajasthan’s tourism aspects at ITB Berlin 2024

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Apratim Ghoshal, founder-editor, Travel And Tour World had the opportunity to interview Dr. Rashmi Sharma, IAS, Director Tourism of Rajasthan Tourism, at ITB Berlin 2024.

Travel And Tour World: Could you tell us more about your location and the services you provide?

Dr. Rashmi Sharma: So, as you can see, that is a big forum to host meetings and exhibit the state’s rich cultural and heritage facets. In addition to this, the folk arts are invariably popular across the country and, I would say, on a global scale as well. However, I believe this event provides us with an opportunity to create new horizons and share more attributes about our destination across the globe. And, if I may say so, we are attempting to promote not just the nation but also Rajasthan, which I would like to promote as a MICE destination. The previous G20 interaction summit and all of the meetings that were held, including the first Sherpa Meeting of India’s G20 Presidency meeting in Udaipur, really served as boosters for the tourism industry because the locations were promoted all over the world.

Travel And Tour World: When you refer to MICE, you are referring to large-scale tourism to your state for large hotels. However, what about connectivity—that is, global connectivity—if I may ask?

Dr. Rashmi Sharma: Yes, that is there. So the closest connectivity is through Delhi. Having said that, there are a lot of international flights that are now operational from Dubai, and otherwise, in the Middle East, we have some direct flights coming through Jaipur. Also, route connectivity is becoming more seamless. So, the Bharatmala projects and route work are improving significantly. Travel time from Delhi to Jaipur is also very short. In addition, the rail network from Delhi to Jaipur is also pretty good. Yet I would like to say that there should be more international flights that are operational from Rajasthan.

I should also mention that we are considering wedding destinations as the next big thing for surging tourists. As a result, when I mention MICE destinations, the wedding destination comes in second on our list of things to advertise, thanks to the amazing India “I Do campaign” that is spreading awareness of it all over the country. And we are also promoting the state as a wedding destination opportunity. So it is a good opportunity for encouraging employment in the state, and that also showcases how the G20 did the celebrity weddings.

Travel And Tour World: Can you talk about the wildlife, which I believe is important for Rajasthan?

Dr. Rashmi Sharma: We are creating more and more such destinations. similar to a Jhalana Safari, which is the closest to the city; you can not believe that it is only tucked away at a distance from 1 to 1.5 kilometers from Jaipur, and Jawai is another location that is soon to be visited and for which people are keeping an eye out. That being said, there are still traditional locations like Sawai Madhopur and Ranthambore. You can also chance upon bird sanctuaries, where flamingos can be seen spotting alongside the migratory birds that arrive in numbers.

Travel And Tour World: Which international tourists normally visit Rajasthan?

Dr. Rashmi Sharma:  Although traditional markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France still exist, we also aim to catch up with Germany and the Middle Eastern countries. At the same time, we are willing to work together and share our experiences with people from other countries, such as Japan, that have not historically been considered traditional markets. However, we continue to believe that there is scope. As you might know, the tourism industry is slowly recovering from the damage resulting from COVID-19.

Travel And Tour World: Is Rajasthan a popular travel destination for Indian citizens?

Dr. Rashmi Sharma: See, after the pandemic, when people were not travelling internationally, probably because of a financial crunch or fear whatever, the easiest way was to visit a relatively quiet destination. So Rajasthan was a great choice. 

Additionally, we provide them with an immersive tourism experience, such as when they visit and remain in one place for an extended period of time. Furthermore, they get to interact with the people by staying with their families and engaging in activities that they truly enjoy, so it works that way.

Travel And Tour World: What is your take on sustainability?

Dr. Rashmi Sharma: The Travel for LiFE Program is an initiative of the Government of India, launched in response to the G20 GOA Roadmap, which Rajasthan deemed fit as the need of the hour. And the sooner we realize this, the better it is. Thus, we established our cooperative relationship with the stakeholders last year and brought ethical and sustainable travel abroad to the United States. This year marked the start of a new tradition, which we will carry on.

There are various categories in that, and we invite people to take part. Therefore, we have started taking actions for the same with schoolchildren, and we also want to spread the word about whatever units are practicing responsible behavior, perhaps a reuse and recycle strategy, or how they are using local communities and local community products to sort of get used there in reducing the carbon footprints, so we have taken that initiative. 

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