If there is one aspect in which Karnataka has hopelessly lagged behind some of the more enterprising states, it is in the promotion of tourism. Whether it is rich heritage sites or bounties of nature in the form of beaches, forests and scenic spots, Karnataka is endowed with some of the most breath-taking places in the country, but  has failed to cash in on it. Leave alone foreign visitors, even domestic tourists find it an ordeal to visit places with historical monuments like Belur, Halebeedu, Badami, Aihole, Bijapur, Hampi and Pattadakal as most of them lack basic infrastructure like proper roads, hotels and restaurants. When it comes to beach tourism this sector remains practically undeveloped though Karnataka has nearly 1,000 km of enchanting coastline.

In this context, the Karnataka Tourism Department’s ambitious plan, “momentum Karnataka” unveiled last week to attract tourism-related investment is laudable. With the focus on heritage tourism, eco-tourism and beach tourism, the department has identified and offered around 1,130 acres of government land and 2,365 acres of private land for development of infrastructure. At the Tourism Investors’ Meet in Bangalore, attended by about 125 potential investors, both domestic and foreign, the department showcased “coffee tourism” in the coffee estates of Kodagu, Chikmagalur and Hassan, besides beach tourism opportunities from Karwar to Mangalore, eco- tourism in the Western Ghats region and so on.

As the Centre too is focusing on turning tourism into a major industry with the potential of earning billions of dollars, Karnataka should gear up to exploit its potential to the fullest. There will no dearth of groups willing to invest in tourism as the returns are always attractive and the government should move forward quickly to ensure that it acts as the facilitator by cutting the bureaucratic redtape to the minimum. The earlier efforts at attracting investment have failed precisely because, as some investors pointed out at the conference, they were constantly harassed by various departments for umpteen “clearances.” The government will do well to appoint a single nodal agency to deal with all clearances at one go and keep its hands off once the facility is created. However, the zeal to develop tourism should be tempered with the utmost caution to protect the environment as well as the monuments. There can no compromise on this score.