Rajasthan foundation launches safe tourism campaign

Kolkata, July 19 (UNI) To allay fear from the minds of tourists about possible terror attacks and other forms of violence in the state, Rajasthan Foundation across the country has launched a unique ''safe tourism campaign''.

Stating that the main purpose behind the month-long campaign was to spread the message that barring stray incidents, Rajasthan was safe and peaceful, president of the Kolkata Chapter of Rajasthan Foundation and industrialist Harimohan Bangur said here today that the campaign had become necessary against a backdrop of recent violence and terrorist attacks in Srinagar, Mumbai and some other places.

Mr Bangur said besides making people aware of the steps taken by the Vasundhara Raje ministry to improve law and order and creating a visitor-friendly atmosphere in the desert state, they were organising a number of road shows in the city and elsewhere to spread a similar message.

Referring to the recent incidents of outraging the modesty of some foreign tourists and some other violence, Mr Bangur said they were ''stray incidents'' and claimed that in all such cases the culprits were caught within 48 hours and given stern punishment.

''Both the state government and the Rajasthan Foundation are determined to ensure that no such incident takes place to tarnish the image of the state,'' Mr Bangur emphasised.

He said in order to ensure foolproof protection for both domestic and foreign tourists, the government had set up a unique Tourist Assistance Force(TAF) for the first time in the country.

Easily accessible, this force was being posted near every tourist spot and across every major city of Rajasthan to provide all help to the visitors.

The TAF had been formed through rigorous selection procedures where every member had to undergo separate training for maintaining law and order, promoting tourism as a trade and about the usefulness of courteous behaviour for all besides the provisions of emergency medical services, the chief of the Rajasthan Foundation informed.

On the inflow of tourists in Rajasthan, considered to be the most attractive destination for both domestic and foreign visitors, Mr Bangur said with the increase of 54 per cent in their number last year, the total number of people visiting Rajasthan had crossed the three million mark.

''This year following the safe tourism campaign we are looking for about 17 per cent jump in the number of tourists from last year,'' he said.

Regarding the number of tourists from Eastern India Mr Bangur said till last year more than 38 per cent of the total visitors in Rajasthan came from this region, where the number of non-resident Rajasthanis was more than two million.

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