During the Coronavirus lockdown, the Madhya Pradesh government has taken several steps to ensure that its tourism industry does not suffer once the travel ban is lifted. Right now, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) is running the “Intezaar Aapka” campaign on its social media handles to attract tourists; both national and international. This campaign aims at empathizing with the current situation of travellers who are under lock and key in their homes, by posting beautiful pictures of some of the most popular tourist spots in the state along with a caption that reflects the gloomy mood of the place in the absence of tourists. Corporation Managing Director Sonia Meena has announced that the “Intezaar Aapka” campaign is running successfully on the Board’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram handle. It has already covered famous tourist spots like Ujjain, Panchmari, Amarkantak, Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Mandu among others, and is also providing links to book a visit to the place on the social media pages.
In Phase One of the campaign, the Board has emphasized on the state’s bustling wildlife, parks and temples, all of which were opened to tourists on June 15th. More recently, in phase two, the Minister of Culture and Tourism for the Government of India, Prahlad Singh Patel has announced the monuments under the jurisdiction of the Central Government to be opened for visiting. All of these decisions have been approved by the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India. It must be mentioned here that tourist spots have been opened only after satisfying all safety protocols. Even while the tourists are visiting, protocols issued by the State and Central governments are being followed to the letter to ensure the safety of the travellers.
MPTB has promised “Safe travel, safe stay and safe tour” for all travellers and has designed several tour packages of different durations that can suit travellers of different budgets. Notable among those are the two-three night road-trip itineraries which seek to put an end to the boredom of the tourists. The COVID-19 situation has proved to be a big bane in the lives of people, particularly those with nomadic feet. At the time of writing, there have been 16,036 instances of people testing positive for Coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh, and 629 cases have been fatal. To curb the spread of the Coronavirus, travel bans have been imposed on many states of the country. Plus, the people themselves are now avoiding going to public places out of fear of the virus. Coupled with the sense of personal hygiene, these tour packages made by the MPTB will surely satiate the tourists to some extent.
The state of Madhya Pradesh is filled to the brim with pristine architecture, stunning flora and fauna and magnificent monuments. Hence, it has always occupied a top spot of interest among travellers. No doubt, this initiative taken by the Madhya Pradesh government will certainly resonate with the wander lusting souls who yearn to leave their home and explore the terrain. Till now, the “Intezaar Aapka” campaign has been positively received by Indian and foreign travellers, many of whom have left endearing comments on the social media handles of MPTB.
