Thursday, November 23, 2023
Dr. Rashmi Sharma, IAS, Director of Tourism Rajasthan Tourism Board engages in a conversation with Travel And Tour World and shares her experiences of heading the tourism sector of Rajasthan. Watch the interview now.
Travel And Tour World: How do you introduce yourself?
Dr. Rashmi Sharma: Hello, I am Dr. Rashmi Sharma, Director Tourism Rajasthan Tourism Board. So, I am coming from India to the World Travel Market 2023.
Travel And Tour World: How have you found the event so far today?
Dr. Rashmi Sharma: It’s wonderful as always. The tourism fraternity looks forward to coming to the World Travel Market. It’s a brilliant forum for interaction for not only showcasing your product but also learning from all others and inviting people to visit your country.
Travel And Tour World: As it is high season in India right now, how is Rajasthan tourism planning to attract more visitors?
Dr. Rashmi Sharma: We have already picked up in a beautiful way last year and we have surpassed the numbers in a great way. 6the plan is to add more experiences or to add more nights per se. That means if a person stays in Rajasthan for 5 or 6 days, he or she should think of adding more nights. That will translate into more employment and experiences as a whole. So we are planning to curate more such options so that tourists can have more experience and they plan to visit Rajasthan.
Travel And Tour World: How do think the ‘Incredible India 3.O’ idea influenced tourism in your region?
Dr. Rashmi Sharma: Incredible India 3.O is basically working together for promotion of tourism in meaningful ways with social media handles. It is to promote what India has so we can bring more number of tourists. Whichever state a tourist goes to, in the end he/she is coming to India and giving back to the GDP.
Travel And Tour World: What do you have in plan at the WTM London?
Dr. Rashmi Sharma: We have lot of meetings lined up, road shows, meetings with the PR, Incredible India dinner and so on. So, there is lot of B2B and B2C things happening. We would request more people to come and we will arrange FAM trips for them be it a blogger, vlogger or anyone who will write about the state. This time we have copartners and co-exhibitors also. We also have ‘Palace On Wheels’ and beautiful cities to showcase to the tourists. So, together we are looking for opportunities at the WTM and we shall have it.
Travel And Tour World: Tell our readers about your cultural tourism scene
Dr. Rashmi Sharma: India, at large, is culturally rich and Rajasthan boasts its cultural heritage also. The state has rich cuisines, rich heritage, the brilliant colours, music, dance forms, festivities throughout the year that one needs to see to experience the heritage of our state they speak of. It is the liveliness of the people that comes out during the festivals. We are looking for reviving our culture and heritage. With the help of the UNESCO, we are trying to promote our intangible heritage. We are trying to provide them more livelihood options and take our legacy forward down the generations.
Travel And Tour World: How do you promote sustainable tourism?
Dr. Rashmi Sharma: Sustainable tourism is being responsible and goes hand in hand with responsible tourism. It is the need of the hour. We just cannot go recklessly with development. At one point of time we need to stop or rather slow down and think about our environment. A child should learn this at a very young age. They should take baby steps towards reusing and recycling as we are speaking actually for promoting sustainability. Rajasthan started responsible tourism with an award last year and this year we are on our second edition and in few months we are going to give those awards too. It could be on various things for example, home stays, case studies, people who are doing. Actually it will be about something that can be replicated or at least conveyed to all other people to know how such things can also happen. It is about in minimal utilization of resource, how best you can optimize, and not meddle with nature, how to reduce carbon footprint and be mindful of why and how you are doing certain things in certain ways. We have kept awards and it is to recognize their efforts. By that making others learn the process.
Travel And Tour World: How would you explain Rajasthan in one sentence?
Dr. Rashmi Sharma: To describe Rajasthan, I would like to draw your attention to our logo, “PADHARO HAMARE DESH” which means that we welcome you to the state Rajasthan with folded hands. It is a welcoming slogan which says that you are our guests and we will take care of you; hospitality is our motto and it runs through the vein of our state. We welcome you at Rajasthan at any time.
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