Bhopal, May 22: Finance Minister Raghavji has said that Madhya Pradesh has immense potential to become the most preferred tourist destination of the country. The state government has provided adequate funds for this, but desired results are not possible without private sector participation, he added.

Raghavji was inaugurating a seminar on Mainstreaming Private Public Participation (PPP) in Tourism jointly organised by the Directorate of Institutional Finance and MP State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) here today. Officers of concerning departments and private investors and their representatives participated in the seminar.

The Finance Minister said that Madhya Pradesh is taking rapid strides in tourism sector. Till 2003 tourism sector had been grossly neglected. The present state government paid special attention to this sector as a result of which Madhya Pradesh is fast emerging on the tourism map of the country. He said that other states famous for tourism have only one speciality or attraction each, but Madhya Pradesh has almost all the tourist attractions except ice and sea. The need is to exploit the potential to the optimum.

Citing the example of Bhopal, the Minister said that the capital city has always been very beautiful, but it has been recognised now. There are many other places, which are very attractive but have failed to draw attention. Such spots should be identified and developed from tourism point of view. Madhya Pradesh is an island of peace, which is an added tourist attraction. He said that Bhopal and Indore airports are being developed at international level for which the government has provided adequate funds. He lauded the seminar saying that it would go a long way in promoting tourism industry in the state.

Principal Secretary, Finance Ashok Das said that in 2003 a decision was taken for dis-investment in tourism sector in Madhya Pradesh. But since year 2004, committed efforts have been made to boost tourism. As a result, now Madhya Pradesh has fast emerged as a preferred tourist destination. He said that government alone couldn't promote tourism to desired level. Private sector's participation is a must. He called upon the concerning departments to come forward for handholding to achieve the goal.

Managing Director of the Tourism Development Corporation Ashwin Lohani said that the committed efforts and novel initiatives have led to a positive transformation in tourism scenario of the state. Madhya Pradesh has won various prestigious awards for promoting tourism. Apart from domestic and international tourists the Corporation has identified two other categories for tourism promotion. These are inter-region tourism and intra-region tourism. Due attention has been paid to infrastructure development and road communication has improved considerably in the state. A land bank has been created for private investors and 40 land sites have been identified for allotment to them. The initiative to promote heritage tourism has received good response. The tourism potential of Madhya Pradesh has been projected effectively at national and international level, he added.

The Director, Institutional Finance Ms Pallavi Jain Govil informed that the objective of the seminar is to explore and discuss the options for promoting PPP in tourism sector.

Presentations on relevant subjects were made during the technical sessions at the seminar. Queries of the participants were also satisfied. Arun Paliwal proposed a vote of thanks. Satish Mishra conducted the seminar.