Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda "2025"

T- 11
Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025
Initial Screening Report For Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur
Initial Screening Report: T-11
Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur
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Top Sheet for ISR: Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Title Background Description Udaipur lies at the centre of the Mewar region. Udaipur forms a convenient entry point for tourists entering the Mewar region. The city is today famous for its lakes, palaces, mansions, havelis, temples, and museums An integrated tourism development project for Udaipur, with focus on identification and development of new tourism products The overall objective of this project is to enhance the tourism potential of Udaipur, with a view to increasing the number of tourists visiting the town, prolonging stay, and improving overall tourist experience. The main project components include: 1) Restoration of lakes in Udaipur, 2) Restoration / development of important gardens in Udaipur, 3) Water Sports at Badi Talaab, etc. The biggest attraction for tourists visiting Udaipur has traditionally been its lakes, gardens, and palaces. The city now faces its biggest challenge as most of its lakes are dry and some of its lakes are thought to be dead on account of excessive boring. Most of the citys important gardens are also somewhat neglected The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 70 lakh with the following break up: 1) Development of tourism products Restoration of important gardens Rs. 20 lakh, 2) development of tourism products Water sports at Badi Talaab Rs. 50 lakh The proposed water sports facility at Badi Talaab could be set up by private developers, for which the investment is estimated to be about Rs. 50 lakh. Private sector maintenance of some of the important gardens is also suggested There may be some risks relating to the availability of water under the different options suggested for restoration of lakes. Cost implication for restoration of lakes in case of option 3 may make the viability of option 3 in question The project would generate significant direct and indirect benefits. The benefits in terms of increase in direct output, indirect output, income and employment would be to the tune of Rs. 83 crore, Rs. 88 crore, Rs. 28 crore, and 40,000 person years over five years The lake restoration and restoration of gardens would require government support for implementation. Private sector participation is envisaged for the water sports facility and for maintenance of gardens
The Project
Project Objectives and Scope
Project Demand Drivers
Project cost estimate
Opportunities for private sector
Project Risk Assessment
Project Benefits
Project Implementatio n structure
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1. Project Concept Udaipur lies at the centre of the Mewar region, which consists of the region around Udaipur, including the districts of Udaipur, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, and Chittaurgarh. Udaipur forms a convenient entry point for tourists entering the Mewar region. The city was built by the Sisodia Rajputs of Mewar, who migrated to Udaipur after the fall of Chittaurgarh in 1567. The city is today famous for its lakes, palaces, mansions, havelis, temples, and museums.
The major tourist attractions of Udaipur include the following:
City Palace: The largest palace complex in Rajasthan, consists of several palaces which have been added by successive rulers and integrated into one
Lake Palace: Regarded as one of the most beautiful palaces in the world, afloat on Lake Pichola, and situated on the island of Jag Niwas, this is now a popular luxury hotel
Saheliyon-ki-bari: A garden laid out for the women of the royal household on the banks of Fateh Sagar, with fountains and pavilions
Jagdish Mandir: Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the largest and most splendid temple of Udaipur Sajjangarh (Monsoon Palace): A palace astride a spur on the hill, can be seen from most points in Udaipur Crystal Gallery: A gallery located in Fateh Prakash Palace, with a display of items made of crystal, furniture specially ordered for the royal house, etc.
Udaipur is one of the six cities in Rajasthan covered under RUIDP, and most support urban infrastructure projects have already been covered under RUIDP. However, there are certain components that have not been taken up under RUIDP, but which are likely to provide
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direct benefits to tourism development. These have been included as part of the integrated tourism development project for Udaipur, which focuses on the following key areas:
1. Access to Udaipur To identify constraints in accessing the city 2. Potential Review of Tourist Sites Products To identify projects that can improve the quality of experience at important tourist sites 3. Access to Tourist Sites To identify current constraints in accessing tourist sites within and around Udaipur 4. Support Urban Infrastructure at Tourist Locations To identify urban improvement projects that could enhance the overall tourism experience most of these are however already covered under RUIDP 5. Primary Tourism Infrastructure To identify projects opportunities in areas such as accommodation, etc. in Udaipur
The overall objective of this integrated tourism development project is to enhance the tourism potential of Udaipur with a view to increasing the number of tourists visiting the city, prolonging stay, and improving overall tourist experience. 2. Project Beneficiaries The project beneficiaries include the population of the city as well as floating population, i.e. mainly tourists. As per the 2001 census, the population of Udaipur was 3,89,317.
Tourist arrival figures for Udaipur for the last five years are shown in the exhibit below.
Tourist inflows into Udaipur

1999 Domestic 5,78,622 Tourists Foreign 78,267 78,708 Tourists Total 6,53,355 6,57,330 Source: Tourist Reception Centre, Udaipur 1998 5,75,088 2000 7,35,333 77,174 8,12,507 2001 6,62,826 56,760 7,19,586 2002 4,71,576 1,01,303 5,72,879
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Clearly, tourist arrivals to Udaipur have been declining over the last two years. The reasons for the decline in tourist arrivals may be traced to both external and internal factors. Amongst the internal factors are that many of the lakes and gardens in the city, traditionally its biggest attraction, are currently in a state of disrepair mainly due to lack of water / development.
The focus of the current project is to identify projects that would provide a direct boost to tourism by helping to increase the number of tourists visiting Udaipur, and improving their overall quality of experience.
3. Demand Mentioned below are the demand drivers for the various components of the integrated tourism development project for Udaipur. These have been identified / developed based on discussions with stakeholders and a cross-section of tourists, who expressed current limitations and bottlenecks.
3.1
Access to Udaipur
Udaipur is fairly well connected by road (especially with Gujarat) and air (there is an existing airport at Udaipur). Also, since the Ahmedabad-Udaipur highway falls under the Golden Quadrilateral project of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is under implementation, connectivity by road will improve further, especially with Ahmedabad, which has the added advantage of having an international airport. Rail connectivity however is via meter gauge from Udaipur to Jaipur currently. Projects for broad gauging of Udaipur with Chittaurgarh and Chittaurgarh with Ajmer are however going on.

Potential Review of Tourist Sites Products
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3.2
The biggest attraction for tourists visiting Udaipur has traditionally been its lakes, gardens, and palaces. The city now faces its biggest challenge as most of its lakes are dry and some of its lakes are thought to be dead on account of excessive boring. The lack of rains has not only contributed to making the lakes dry, but has also prevented natural overflow, and thereby the cleaning of the lake. With a lot of filth being thrown in, the lakes are mostly dirty. Most of the citys important gardens are also somewhat neglected. These factors have contributed to the decline in tourist arrivals to Udaipur in the past few years. In order to ensure sustained growth of tourist traffic to the city, it is therefore critical that restoration and development of lakes and parks, etc. be carried out.
3.3
Access to Tourist Sites
Most of the tourist sites within the city are well connected, and road connectivity of Udaipur with select tourist sites in Banswara and Dungarpur is also in good condition, since most of these roads have been taken up for improvement already. These road connections are important since Banswara and Dungarpur are often packaged with Udaipur. Banswara and Dungarpur are both places with a lot of natural scenic beauty. Dungarpur is famous for its unique architectural style, with some beautiful palaces and forts (such as Udai Bilas Palace, Juna Mahal, etc.), archaeological sites, and ancient ruins. Banswara has valleys and lakes in abundance, an impressive palace, and also a lot of scope for water-based activities such as angling, etc. No projects have therefore been envisaged in this category.
3.4
Support Urban Infrastructure at Tourist Locations
Most support urban infrastructure projects for Udaipur have already been covered under the RUIDP project for six cities of Rajasthan. The
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few remaining projects which have not been included as part of RUIDP are unlikely to provide a direct boost to tourism, and have therefore not been included here.
3.5
Primary Tourism Infrastructure
Udaipur currently has a number of hotels across different categories and price ranges, and these should be sufficient to cater to demand in the near future. No other constraints with respect to primary infrastructure were identified.
4. Project Description and Cost Estimates This section details the various components described in the previous section, alongwith preliminary cost estimates.
4.1
Access to Udaipur
No major constraints with respect to access to Udaipur were expressed, and no projects under this category have therefore been identified.
4.2
Potential Review of Tourist Sites Products
This category includes projects for restoration of lakes, maintenance of gardens, etc., and are briefly described below:
1. Restoration of lakes in Udaipur: Most of the lakes in the city (including Fateh Sagar Lake, Swaroop Sagar Lake, Kumharia Lake, Rang Sagar Lake, etc.), which have traditionally been one of the prime attractions of Udaipur, are currently running dry or are nearly dry because of low rainfall in the last few years. Various short- and long-term options for restoration of lakes would need to be assessed. While detailed options for the same, and preliminary cost estimates for these, have been discussed in the Initial
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The recycled water under RUIDP could be pumped back into the lakes The Mansi Vakal III project could be brought forward and this could act as a permanent source of water for the lakes Of the existing Mansi Vakal project, the water that is currently being allocated to Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) could be used first (without treatment) for recharging the lake, and the recycled water could be given to HZL from the existing Fateh Sagar Lake Pumping Station
In addition to exploring options for restoration of lakes, efforts also need to be made to ensure that the lakes are kept clean. As mentioned earlier, the lack of rains, by preventing natural outflow, has also contributed to the lakes being dirty. Efforts therefore need to be made to maintain the catchment areas of the lakes. This involves preventing indiscriminate destruction of the catchment areas by construction and mining / industrial activities, which greatly impede the natural flow of water. Also, the indiscriminate construction of small anicuts and checkdams would have to be discouraged.
2. Restoration / development of important gardens: Some of the large gardens of Udaipur (such as Gulab Bagh, located within Sajjan Niwas Garden, and Saheliyon-ki-bari) are in need of restoration / development and better maintenance. Gulab Bagh has a large collection of roses from all over the world and also a large variety of indigenous flora, but the garden is currently slightly neglected. Saheliyon-ki-bari has a number of fountains, flower beds, etc., but also needs some restoration work
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3. Water sports at Badi Talaab: Badi Talaab is one of the lakes situated within Udaipur city. The lake has a lot of potential to be developed as a centre for basic water sports, such as parasailing, water skiing, canoeing, etc. This could be on the lines of the Adventure Sports Centre which has been set up by the Rajasthan State Sports Council at Jaisamand Lake. Facilities for parasailing etc. are available at the Centre. Similar activities could be started at Badi Talaab, which has the advantage of being conveniently located within the city, as opposed to Jaisamand Lake, which is located about 50 km away from the city. Shops, restaurants, etc. could also be set up around the lake
A summary of the components described above, and cost estimates for these, is presented in the exhibit.
Summary of Cost Estimates Review of Tourist Site Products

S. No 1 2 TOTAL Name of work Restoration / development of important gardens Water sports at Badi Talaab Sum of 1-2 Estimated cost (Rs. Lakh) 20 50 70
4.3
No projects envisaged for improving access to tourist sites, as no constraints with respect to access identified. 4.4 Support Urban Infrastructure at Tourist Locations
No projects envisaged under this category.
4.5
Primary Infrastructure
Primary infrastructure within Udaipur was found to be largely adequate. Some of the soft issues raised during our discussions are addressed in the common section on state-wide policy suggestions in this report.
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5. Project Economics This section makes an assessment of project viability for each of the components detailed in the last section, and in turn analyses whether any of these projects could be taken up on public-private-partnership basis. Each component is assessed separately.
5.1
Access to Udaipur
No projects identified under this category. 5.2 Potential Review of Tourist Sites Products
The project economics for review of tourism products could be analysed as follows:
Restoration of lakes: While detailed options for restoration of lakes, and their project economics will be discussed in the ISR for industrial water supply to Udaipur, it is unlikely that the direct revenue streams as a result of lake restoration would make the projects commercially viable. These projects would therefore have to be carried out by the government itself. The maintenance of some of the lakes or areas around the lakes could be privatised on contract basis
Restoration / development of gardens: The maintenance of most of the large gardens is currently looked after by the PWD / UIT, and some part of the cost of maintenance is recovered from the entry fees charges to users. As mentioned earlier, some of the large gardens require restoration / development and better maintenance. For this, two options could be considered. One is that a committee consisting of representatives from the concerned body (PWD / UIT) maintaining the garden currently, alongwith other government institutions, could be set up. Institutions such as the Horticulture Department of the Agriculture College, Udaipur, which has technical expertise in this field, could be included.
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These institutions could either operate on a fee-based system for maintenance, or options could be explored whereby they carry out maintenance in return for opportunities for research work involving the fauna etc. Maintenance of these gardens should be carried out using well-defined performance criteria. The other option is to privatise the maintenance of these parks on contract basis. Welldefined performance criteria would need to be worked out upfront in this case as well
Water sports at Badi Talaab: Setting up water sport facilities would involve upfront investment in equipment, such as rafts, etc., land levelling, walkway, setting up shops, restaurants, and other facilities around the lake, etc. The facility could be set up by the private sector, though the involvement of institutions such as the Rajasthan State Sports Council, which is currently operating the Adventure Sports Centre at Jaisamand Lake.
5.3
No projects identified under this category. 5.4 Support Urban Infrastructure at Tourist Locations
No projects identified under this category.
5.5
Primary Infrastructure
6. Assessment of Project Risks On the basis of discussions, the following risks are envisaged for this project: There may be some risks relating to the availability of water under the different options suggested for restoration of lakes.
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Cost implication for restoration of lakes in case of option 3 may make the viability of option 3 in question
7. Structure of the Project and Government Support required 7.1 Access to Udaipur
7.2
Potential Review of Tourism Products
The suggested project structure for components of the review of tourist site products have been analysed as follows:
Restoration of lakes: As mentioned before, while detailed options for restoration of lakes, and their project structuring will be discussed in the ISR for industrial water supply to Udaipur, these projects would most likely have to be carried out by the government itself. The government could consider imposing a limited period cess on all hotels in the city to part finance the cost of such restoration because the hotel industry is likely to be one of the biggest beneficiaries from round-the-year water in the lakes of Udaipur.
Restoration / development of gardens: As mentioned earlier, for the restoration / development and operation and maintenance of the large gardens, either a committee consisting of representatives from the concerned body (PWD / UIT) maintaining the garden currently, alongwith other government institutions, could be set up, or the same could be bid out to private parties against collection of entry fees. Well-defined performance criteria would need to be worked out upfront in both cases, and a proper monitoring mechanism would need to be in place
In case the responsibility for operation and maintenance of the gardens wrests with the government, it is suggested that a
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maintenance fund be created out of a city development levy (discussed as part of overall policy initiatives for select tourist towns) on guests staying at hotels in Udaipur. This could be in the form of a surcharge added on to the total hotel bill. The rates could vary for tourists from within Rajasthan (Rs. 10), outside of Rajasthan but from within India (Rs. 25), and outside the country (Rs. 100). On the basis of current tourist arrivals, this charge would generate a fund of over Rs. 2 crore in the first year itself
Water sports at Badi Talaab: The facility could be set up by the private sector, though the involvement of institutions such as the Rajasthan State Sports Council, which is currently operating the Adventure Sports Centre at Jaisamand Lake, could also be explored. Water sports facilities the world over are usually set up / managed by a club with representation from its stakeholders. The club, which is funded by its stakeholders, is responsible for managing the purchase of equipment, etc., maintenance of the water sports facility, etc. It could also encourage / sponsor local sportspeople in local or nation-wide water competitions, etc. This would serve a double-edged purpose encouraging tourism as well as promoting local sportspeople. There would of course need to be a proper monitoring mechanism for the developers
7.3
No projects identified under this category. 7.4 Support Urban Infrastructure at Tourist Locations
No projects identified under this category. 7.5 Primary Infrastructure
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8. Conclusion A preliminary assessment of the benefits as a result of the integrated tourism development scheme for Udaipur city was carried out. It has been assumed (conservatively) that over the next five years, the number of tourists (both domestic and foreign) visiting the city increase by 10% per year, and the average stay increases by one night for both domestic and foreign tourists. This should be possible, given also the impact of RUIDP and the industrial water supply project proposed for Udaipur (which is covered in another ISR). Based on a multiplier analysis, estimates of the economic benefits of the scheme are presented in the exhibit below.
2002 Udaipur Number of Tourists Average Expenditure (Rs./day) Number of days stay Direct Output (Rs. Lakh) Indirect Output (Rs. Lakh) Income (Rs. Lakh) Employment Generated Domestic Foreign Total Domestic 835426 2008 Foreign 179,464 Total 1014890 Increment Domestic Foreign 363850 78161 Total Source Progress Report, 442011 Deptt of Tourism Based on discussions at field level Progress Report, Deptt of Tourism
471576 101303 572879
500 1
700 2
500 2
700 3 1 1
2,358
1,418
3,776
8,354
3,769
12,123
5,996
2,351
8347
2,735 707 7,286
1,522 468 6,354
4,257 1,175 13,640
8,964 2,757 37,427
4,044 1,244 16,884
13,008 4,001 54,311
6,229 2,050 30,141
2,522 776 10,530
8751 2825 40672 Department of Tourism, Planning Commission
Multipliers Indirect Output Multiplier Income Multiplier Employment Multiplier (man years per Rs. Lakh)
Domestic Foreign
1.16 0.3
1.073 0.33
3.09
4.48
As may be observed, the benefits in terms of increase in direct output, indirect output, income and employment would be to the tune of Rs. 83 crore, Rs. 88 crore, Rs. 28 crore, and approximately 40,000 person years respectively over the next five years.
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9. Summary of Costs A summary of the project components mentioned earlier, alongwith cost estimates and scope for private sector participation, is provided in the table below.
Summary of Project Components

S. No 1 Component Description Development of Tourism Products Restoration / development of important gardens Development of Tourism Products Water Sports Facility at Badi Talaab TOTAL Cost (Rs. Lakh) 20 Whether Private Sector Possible Yes for maintenance Invt. by Govt. 20 Invt. by Private Sector 0
50
Yes
50
70
20
50
Most of the requirements for Udaipur are already covered under RUIDP, and no major access constraints were expressed. Options for lake restoration have been covered in detail in the ISR for industrial water supply to Udaipur. The balance components, mainly development of tourism products, have been included as part of this ISR. Most of these components are likely to attract private sector participation.
This integrated scheme could be put up for funding either from the Government of India, or from bilateral / multilateral agencies such as JBIC, the World Bank, etc. The scheme is important in order to give a boost to tourist arrivals in Udaipur, which have been declining lately, prolong average stay, and improve the overall quality of the tourists experience.

Annexure
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Besides undertaking the water supply projects for domestic and industrial users, it is important to look at restoration of lakes in Udaipur which are critical to the tourism development of the region. In recent times due to low rainfall and over exploitation, the water level in most of the lakes in Udaipur have gone below the sill level, which technically should not have happened as these lakes are categorised as wet lands and it is understood as per the guidelines of the honble supreme court all wet lands should have at least water till sill level.
During our discussions with various stakeholders the following suggestions came up for ensuring water availability in the lake city of Udaipur. One of the options considered was the 12 MLD water that is currently earmarked for HZL in the Mansiwakal I project be diverted to the lakes, without treating. Since filling up of lakes would mean water availability at Fateh Sagar Lake, HZL could meet its water requirements from its existing pumping stations at Fateh Sagar lake. To ensure that water shortage does not happen to HZL, government would consider augmenting the source of water for HZL by creating a pipeline from the proposed STP to Fateh Sagar Lake for supplying recycled water to HZL as a back up.
One of the primary negatives of the above options is as to who would bear the power cost of pumping water from Mansi Wakal I to the lakes. Given the importance of lakes to the tourism development of the region, the cost of pumping water to the lakes could be borne by the tourist industry of the state wherein GoR could consider charging a small surcharge on hotels / tour operators linked to there revenue for the purpose of restoration of lakes.
The other option for restoration of lakes is to ensure that the conveyance system for Mansiwkal I is the 11.36 tunnel, because if the tunnel is used as conveyance system for the existing / proposed tanks in wakal sub basin, there could be 200 to 400 mcft water annually in
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addition to Mansiwakal I dam water, which in turn could be used for providing water to the lakes.
Yet another option would be to undertake Mansi Wakal III on priority. Mansi Wakal III is designed to utilize the excess water in Sabarmati basin. Under this project, a dam is proposed to constructed near Biroti village in Jhadola tehsil at a place which is 2 km from where Mansi and Wakal rivers meet. Water will be pumped from the dam and conveyed to Udaipur city. However, detailed survey, investigation as well as design have not yet been prepared by PHED.
Yet another option for lake restoration is to use the recycled water from STP for filling up the lake, as once the entire STP is operational there would be enough water for meeting the water needs of industry as well as the lakes. The design capacity of the STP is 20 MLD amd the industrial water requirements for Gudli and Suker is only 3 MLD, thus leaving approximately 17 MLD at full capacity. One of the principal objection to this option would be that since PHED is using the lake water for providing drinking water supply how can treated water with BOD<30 be used for drinking water. It is understood that in case PHED is using deep borewells this can still be done especially if the tertiary treatment of water is undertaken.
T- 12
Project Concept Note On Integrated Tourism Development of The NCR (Rajasthan) Circuit
Project Concept Note: T-12
Integrated Tourism Development of the NCR (Rajasthan) Circuit Page 2
The National Capital Region (NCR) comprises the region around (extending to approximately 80 km from the city limits) and including National Capital Territory (NCT) Delhi, and covers parts of the states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The tourist circuit linking Delhi and the Rajasthan portion in (and around) NCR, is underexploited in terms of tourist potential and has a lot of scope to be promoted as a weekend-destination circuit with Delhi as the base.
Towards Bharatpur
This circuit could target both domestic and international tourists visiting Delhi as well as, perhaps more importantly, residents of Delhi, which form a large target population (the total population of Delhi has been estimated at approximately 1.38 crore according to the 2001
census). Parts of the circuit (such as Bharatpur) could also be combined with Agra.
There are various tourist places of interest, which could form part of this circuit (as highlighted in the map on the last page). Some of the key places / attractions of tourist interest in this circuit include the following:
Neemrana: Located just off the NH-8 from Delhi (at a distance of about 122 km from Delhi), the Neemrana Fort Palace is situated on a majestic plateau concealed in a horseshoe formation of the Aravalli ranges. Neemrana is Rajasthans closest palace to Delhi (journey time of approximately 2.5 hours from Delhi by road), and has been renovated and turned into a hotel. The beginnings of the Fort Palace date back to 1464 AD, making this Indias oldest heritage resort. It also has an ancient 18th century stepwell (baoli) with a unique architectural style prevailing at that time. The baoli plunges steeply to the extent of eleven levels, and 170 steps lead to the water
Sariska: Sariska is about 236 km south-west of Delhi. It takes about 4 hours by road to reach Sariska from Delhi. The route followed is NH-8 from Delhi to Shahpura via Behror, and then about 37 km on the Jaipur-Alwar road via Virat Nagar and Thana Ghazi villages. Sariska was the hunting preserve of the Royal family of Alwar and is today a very important destination from the wildlife tourism point of view it is famous for the Sariska National Park, where antelope, deer and many species of birds abound. Harder to sight are leopard, jungle cat, jackal, wild cat and hyena
Alwar: Alwar is about 36 km from Sariska. An outpost of the Mughal Empire, Alwar has a number of forts and palaces. The medieval Alwar Fort and the City Palace are particularly arresting the latter houses a small museum. Other attractions include the Vijai Mandir Palace on the outskirts of Alwar, as also the Chhatri of Musi Rani, the Purjan Vihar gardens, Tomb of Fateh Jang, and
Jaisamand Lake. Alwar could be visited as an excursion, with Sariska as the base Siliserh: Siliserh, 13 km from Alwar, is a good picnic spot. Siliserh Lake is picturesquely set amidst the Aravalli Hills and attracts hundreds of birds. It has basic boating facilities, so one can see the birds up close. Siliserh Palace, overlooking the lake, is a magnificent palace and hunting lodge Bharatpur: Bharatpur lies about 185 km south-west of Delhi (journey time of about 4 hours by road and 3 hours by rail from Delhi, and about 56 km from Agra). The 29 square km Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur was once the hunting ground of the Maharaja of Bharatpur and later turned into a bird sanctuary - it now ranks among the most visited in India. The Sanctuary is full of exotic foreign winged birds that have migrated here from across the globe including Siberian Cranes, which may be sighted in wintertime. Boat rides can also be arranged if the boating season is on. The Sanctuary is open all year round Deeg: Deeg lies about 32 km from Bharatpur, and was the second capital of the state of Bharatpur. Deeg has a huge fort and a magnificent old palace, which lies inside the fort, apart from beautiful gardens and a colourful bazaar. The massive walls of the fort with 12 bastions offer a lot to explore. Some of the bastions still have their cannons in place. Also, there is a Hanuman Temple within the palace that the Maharaja used to pay his daily respects Bairath: Earlier known as Virat Nagar, Bairath lies 66 km north of Jaipur, along the Jaipur-Alwar route. Virat Nagar was the capital of the legendary Matsayadesh. Frequent references to Matsayadesh have been made in the Mahabharata. In the epic period, the area around the districts of Jaipur, Alwar and Bharatpur came to be known as Matsayadesh, with Virat Nagar as its capital. The museum at Bairath, although not very large, has one of the richest collections of artefacts. Excavated material, such as pottery, old coins, seals, metallic pieces, weapons, and statues is
exhibited here.
Tourist arrival figures for some of the towns in this circuit for the last five years are shown in the exhibit below.
Tourist inflows into select towns in NCR circuit
Alwar Domestic Tourists Foreign Tourists Total Domestic Tourists Foreign Tourists Total Domestic Tourists Foreign Tourists Total Domestic Tourists Foreign Tourists Total 1998 47,360 12,465 61,823 10,706 8,325 19,031 1,12,394 14,638 1,27,032 3,956 404 4,360 1999 53,958 7,934 63,891 11,949 9,551 21,500 1,04,247 10,626 1,14,873 1,981 254 2,235 2000 76,934 8,235 87,169 15,559 10,854 26,413 1,18,079 11,262 1,29,341 2,036 206 2,242 2001 1,00,995 3,334 1,06,330 11,817 12,351 24,168 1,01,181 9,553 1,10,734 1,843 120 1,963 2002 1,19,456 3,659 1,25,117 11,277 3,633 14,910 61,361 5,181 66,542 1,669 69 1,738
Sariska
Bharatpur
Siliserh
Source: Annual Progress Report, Department of Tourism, GoR
As may be observed, tourist arrivals to destinations such as Sariska, Bharatpur, etc. have been declining over the last five years. There exists potential to increase tourist arrivals to these destinations by combining them with Delhi in the form of the weekend-destination NCR circuit suggested, for which a more detailed study would be required to determine the components relating to areas (such as access to the region and to tourist sites within the region, development of tourism products, improvement of urban and primary infrastructure) where improvements are required.
T- 13
Project Concept Note On Conversion of Metre Gauge Line Between Mavli and Marwar Junctions
Project Concept Note: T-13 Conversion of Metre Gauge Line between Mavli and Marwar Junctions Page 2
The tourist circuits Marwar (Desert) and Mewar - are projected to be amongst the largest circuits in terms of tourist arrivals in Rajasthan in five years time. Linking these two circuits by good road and rail connections would therefore further boost traffic in both the circuits.
It may be mentioned here that the road link between Sanderao and Amartiya (part of SH-16) has already been proposed to be widened and strengthened as part of the project for Development of Tourism Potential of Kumbhalgarh. This road link would also serve the purpose of linking the Desert circuit with the Mewar circuit by road.
This is because Jodhpur is connected to Pali town via NH-65. Further, Pali is connected through NH-14 with Sanderao (in Pali district). However, the road linkage directly to Rajsamand (i.e. to NH-8) and therefore to the Mewar region, i.e. the road from Sanderao to Amartiya needs to be widened and strengthened, and this has already been proposed to be taken up in the above-mentioned ISR (see exhibit below).
In terms of rail connectivity, a metre gauge line currently connects Udaipur to Jodhpur via Mavli and Marwar junctions. This line caters to the needs of the Rajsamand, Amet, and Marwar areas, linking the hilly track of south-eastern Rajasthan to the desert plains of west Rajasthan (see exhibit overleaf).
Project Concept Note: T-13 Conversion of Metre Gauge Line between Mavli and Marwar Junctions Page 3
While the Marwar-Jodhpur section has been already converted into broad gauge, and work is in progress on the Udaipur-Mavli section, the 128 km long Mavli-Marwar section remains metre gauge. If this link is also converted to broad gauge, then the Jodhpur region will be directly connected to Central India. This link will benefit tourism activity in this region by linking the Marwar (Desert) and Mewar circuits.
A detailed study regarding this project would need to be taken up, and the project needs to be implemented by the Railways for which the state government needs to take up the initiative to pursue the same with Railways.
P- 1
Suggested Policy Initiatives for Tourism in Rajasthan
P-1: Policy Initiatives for Tourism

1. Introduction
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As mentioned in KD-1, the envisaged rate of growth of contribution of the trade and tourism sector in NSDP growth in Rajasthan is 10%. The key assumptions presented as part of KD-1 for the tourism sector are captured in the exhibit below.
Rajasthan has competitive advantages in tourism The sector provides a large proportion (direct and indirect) of employment opportunities
Envisaged Growth Rate Domestic Tourists Contribution to tourism growth 5% pa 12% Jaipur Udaipur Jodhpur
Focus Products / Regions Forts / Palaces / Lakes Pilgrimage Ajmer Pushkar Nathdwara
Trade and Tourism (envisaged rate of growth in contribution to NSDP: 10%)
Forts / Palaces / Lakes Foreign Tourists Contribution to tourism growth 3% pa 7% Jaipur Udaipur Chittorgarh
Desert Jodhpur Jaisalmer Bikaner
Identification of the focus districts would help in focusing future efforts on removing the infrastructure bottlenecks in these districts
Trade & Entertainment Average stay and spend to be doubled Mt. Abu Ajmer Jaipur
Rural / Heritage
Time and Money Spent Contribution to tourism growth 2% pa
Jhunjhunu Kota Jhalawar
Source: PwC Research and Key Deliverable 1
Achieving the envisaged rates of growth for the sector would require action on a number of fronts, including development of critical infrastructure projects and implementation of key policy initiatives. The critical infrastructure projects have been suggested as integrated tourism development projects for various towns, for which initial screening reports have been prepared. The integrated tourism development projects focus on key areas such as improving access to the town, developing tourism products, improving access to tourist sites within or around the town, improving support urban infrastructure at tourist locations, and identifying project opportunities in primary tourism infrastructure.
The key policy initiatives that need to be taken in order to ensure sustained growth of the tourism sector are presented in this chapter.
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These have been presented in a separate chapter because many of these suggestions are common across the state.
2. Suggested Policy Initiatives The main areas where state-wide policy initiatives are suggested have been identified as follows:
1. Initiation of an annual marketing / trade event to promote tourism in the state: Rajasthan as a tourism destination has a small voice, market share, and level of awareness amongst prospective tourists. The total experience that Rajasthan has to offer is unique, but strong marketing and branding will be required if it is to become a leading tourism destination in the future. Infact, a key constraint that was expressed in most towns visited is that there is currently lack of awareness of the town or circuit / region as a tourist destination. Destinations such as Kumbhalgarh have clearly suffered due to lack of proper marketing and awareness. It is therefore suggested that an annual Rajasthan marketing / trade mart at a specific location and date each year could be started on the lines of similar trade events internationally. This would help promote awareness of Rajasthan as a tourist destination (perhaps taking up a certain region each time as its theme) and therefore facilitate tourism growth in the state. This event should be subsidized by the state and would be critical for marketing Rajasthan as a leading tourist destination
2. Setting up of a Technical Secretariat for Tourism Development in Rajasthan: One common feature of all successful tourism development strategies across different countries has been reliance on research (market intelligence) to base strategic decisions. This clearly indicates a preference (and need) for a market-oriented approach (i.e. give the customer what he or she wants) rather than the more traditional production-
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oriented approach that is still followed in some countries (i.e. give the customer what you think he or she wants). Infact, nearly 10% of the annual expenditure of various Tourism Promotion Boards (and / or Commissions) is set aside for market research. In the current-set up in Rajasthan, there is little reliance on research to base decision-making. Infact, there is a mismatch between available research and the needs of the sector in the state, because of which tourism research and information is not making the contribution it should to the development of the sector in the state. It is in this background that it is suggested that the state should set up a Technical Secretariat to the Department of Tourism. Such an approach, i.e. creation of a Technical Secretariat outside of the government, is being taken by more and more states. Though there is already a society in Rajasthan (the Rajasthan Institute of Tourism and Travel Management RITTMAN) for tourism research / conducting specialized training courses, etc., a Technical Secretariat could act as a nodal agency for undertaking research activities relating to the tourism sector, and could be responsible for the following:
Provide ongoing research inputs to the key decision makers (market research would typically include demand estimation, e.g. propensity of tourists from a particular country or region taken as a group, to travel, segmentation (visitor arrivals by age, source, mode of transport, income category, travel purpose, etc.), and buyer behaviour (e.g. preferences of UK long haul backpackers versus Korean group tours and Young Office Ladies from Japan). This would involve developing research formats, co-ordinating research activities, etc. All subsequent decisions relating to product, packaging, promotion, pricing, etc., would then be driven by these research outputs
Develop a tourism information system in the state to forecast visitor arrivals (including numbers, length of stay, modes of arrival, travel routes, expenditure, etc.)
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Provide advice to the government on a continuous basis on policy development and implementation, management and competitiveness
Assist in establishing sector standards and an effective accreditation framework for tourism development in the state. Key elements of this include the following: Developing and implementing a single, integrated, effective quality standards and accreditation framework for Rajasthan tourism products and services Gathering, analysing and disseminating information about the fit between visitors expectations and their actual experience Benchmarking international tourism standards and service levels Ensuring that operators have the necessary capability building tools, training and assistance Developing a business case for an industry-wide consumer protection and complaints management framework
Facilitate development and structuring of viable tourism projects on an ongoing basis Carry out / co-ordinate marketing programmes and outreach
3. Maintenance of some key parks / historical sites within the state by the private sector: At several locations, properties (such as parks, historical sites, forts, etc.) are not being maintained properly and even the responsibility for maintenance is not clearly known. Proper maintenance of key properties is essential in order to ensure that the tourist sites remain attractive to tourists. Some key parks or sites of historical importance could possibly be contracted out to the private sector for maintenance, for which the financial parameters / guidelines and performance criteria would need to be worked out upfront
4. Urban Local Body working with the Tourism Department for maintenance of properties: An alternative where properties are
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not being maintained by the private sector could be that the Urban Local Body is given the responsibility for maintenance, for which it is monitored by the local Tourism Department. A possible model could be the formation of a local-level committee chaired by the District Collector for overseeing maintenance. It is suggested that some part of the ULBs budget could be earmarked for maintenance of the tourist places. Also, a maintenance fund could be created out of a city development levy on guests staying at hotels. This could be in the form of a surcharge added on to the total hotel bill. The rates could vary for tourists from within Rajasthan (Rs. 10), those from outside of Rajasthan but from within India (Rs. 25), and those from outside the country (Rs. 100)
5. Role and location of Tourist Reception Centres (TRCs) / Tourist Information Bureaus (TIBs): Currently, TRCs / TRBs are mostly located at areas within the town that are not very visible to the tourist entering the town. These are sometimes located at places where a tourist would not normally even go. This has been the case in a large number of towns visited. However, since a TRC or TIB should be the first point of contact for a tourist entering the town, there is a need to ensure that these are located at important entry points / strategic locations. Also, the effectiveness of these TRCS / TIBs was found to vary significantly across towns. At most centres, these are operating out of a single room, are inadequately stocked and have poor infrastructure in terms of vehicles, computers, connectivity through internet, etc. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the TRCs / TIBs are uniformly effective in terms of being well equipped with brochures, etc. and manned by knowledgeable personnel. There might also be a need to rethink whether TRCs could be renamed as TIBs, as the name TRCs sometimes sounds a bit misleading to the tourist. It is also understood that a pilot project for privatisation and computer networking of TRCs / TIBs is being considered this could possibly be replicated across the remaining TRCs / TIBs
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6. Accreditation of taxis: Most of the taxis in the state do not run by meter. This often causes tourists to feel insecure and cheated. A system by which tourist taxis are accredited to check exploitation of tourists and promote uniformity in rates should be considered. This service could be launched on a state-wide basis, with the operations being outsourced to a private agency. All registered tourist taxi booking could be done through the same. Also, the government could consider making it mandatory for new taxi permits to be awarded only to accredited taxis
7. Government taking over some important heritage properties for maintenance / preservation: At some locations, heritage properties / monuments are not open to the public since these are owned privately. This becomes a major limitation, because parts of important tourist sites, such as historical monuments, palaces, forts, etc., remain inaccessible to the tourist. In cases where it is possible, the government might consider taking over some of these properties on priority basis. It could also take up the responsibility for restoration and development works, such as construction of boundary walls for these properties, etc., and also take over the maintenance function, at least initially
8. Preparation of tourism literature and other promotional material: At most places there is inadequate literature on important sites / monuments / forts, etc., which is a basic requirement to promote awareness of a particular place. For the publishing and distribution of brochures and other informational material, the government could hire professional advertising agencies and public relations firms, as well as involve the private sector in planning and execution. It could also prepare short films on the tourist sites and broadcast these in the visual media and at other prominent places
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9. Strengthening the Tourist Assistance Force (TAF): It was found that the efficacy of the TAF varies considerably across locations. This is because the local TAF field officers are under the control of the respective regional tourism department, whose effectiveness varies from location to location. There is a need to make TAF uniformly efficient across locations by instituting proper performance criteria and guidelines, which should be strictly enforced. Making TAF more effective would help check incidents of harassment of tourists, etc., which are quite common currently
10. Uniform for Guides: At a number of tourist places, it is impossible to distinguish an accredited guide from those that are not. While the solution lies in strict enforcement of the system of guides at tourism locations, the same has been found to be ineffective. An option therefore could be to introduce a dress code for guides, which would help any tourist to easily make out the authenticity of the guide, thus helping him or her to feel more secure and helping reduce incidents of harassment, etc.
11. Setting up of Money Changers: Currently, money-changing facilities in the state are mainly available through select bank branches or through foreign exchange operators (i.e. authorised dealers ADs, restricted money changers RMCs, and full fledged money changers FFMCs). At some places, inadequacy of such facilities was expressed, and with the growth of tourism traffic in the future, there will be greater need for such facilities. To ensure the setting up of money changers at important tourist destinations, the government could consider making it mandatory for the building plans of all new commercial establishments (commercial complexes / hotels, etc.) beyond a particular size in the major tourist centres of the state to include exclusive space for money changers in their building plans. This would also encourage the implementation of the new RBI policy on money changers,
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which allows agents / franchisees of ADs or FFMCs to offer money changing facilities
12. Space for Local Taxi Operators: To ensure that adequate space exists in major tourist towns for housing local taxis, the government could consider making it mandatory for building plans of commercial establishments and hotels beyond a particular size / category to include exclusive space for some, say 10 taxis at no charges
13. Introduce an annual International Restoration Award: The government could consider initiating an annual International Restoration Award, wherein entries could be invited from national / international students or organisations for submitting concept plans for development of select historical sites. The top two or three chosen plans could be felicitated, thus ensuring the visibility of Rajasthan as well as providing an incentive to interested parties. Another suggestion is for the government to initiate training packages for conservation work involving national and international craftsmen, artisans, professionals, etc.
14. Air services: There is a need for connecting important tourist destinations by air the most important cities in this regard would include Mt. Abu, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Ajmer, initially. Airports at these locations need to be set up in a phased manner, as availability of air services to these cities would result in significant saving in travel time. It is suggested that some inter-city connection be given so that tourists can commute to their main destinations. This would require a fleet of small aircraft connecting these centres. Thus, private operators who could start air taxi operations would need to be encouraged
Key Deliverable 4 - Tourism
It may be noted, that the following projects i.e. T-12 to T-13, are additional projects that were identified during the final round table at Jaipur during discussions with concerned Govt. departments / officials. Brief descriptions of these projects including economic rationale are presented in the subsequent pages.

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda "2025"

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T- 11

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report For Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Top Sheet for ISR: Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Project Objectives and Scope

Project Demand Drivers

Project cost estimate

Opportunities for private sector

Project Risk Assessment

Project Implementatio n structure

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

The major tourist attractions of Udaipur include the following:

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Tourist inflows into Udaipur

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Access to Tourist Sites

Support Urban Infrastructure at Tourist Locations

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Primary Tourism Infrastructure

Potential Review of Tourist Sites Products

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Summary of Cost Estimates Review of Tourist Site Products

Access to Tourist Sites

No projects envisaged under this category.

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Access to Tourist Sites

No projects identified under this category.

No projects identified under this category.

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

No projects identified under this category.

Potential Review of Tourism Products

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025

Initial Screening Report: T-11

Integrated Tourism Development of Udaipur

Access to Tourist Sites

No projects identified under this category. 7.5 Primary Infrastructure

No projects identified under this category.

Rajasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025