BANGALORE: In an effort to internationalize Dasara celebrations, the state government has roped in consul general offices to give wide publicity for this year’s Dasara celebrations.
The government has asked consul general offices in the city to carry information on the festivities on their websites. There are 7 regular consulate and deputy high commission and 17 honorary consulate offices in the city.
“Consul general offices have agreed to publicize state-festival Dasara in their websites. US ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, has confirmed her visit to Mysore during Dasara,” tourism minister RV Deshpande told reporters on Tuesday while giving details on the department’s initiative on the Dasara front.
As a part of intense publicity to woo visitors and offer a better experience this year, perhaps for the first time, the government has allowed private industries to put up stalls at the exhibition, a key attraction of the cultural festivities, slated to be held from October five to 14.
“Around 125-150 stalls may be put up by private industries,” RV Deshpande told reporters today after a meeting with industry bodies such as CII and Ficci here. Hop on-Hop-off tourism buses are proposed to be deployed during the festivities in Mysore, where a clean city campaign is also planned concurrently, he said. Information on Dasara festivities would be publicized in key airports such as Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
There are also plans to invite defence arms such as Army, Navy and Air force to display their war weapons and equipments during Dasara parade.
“Friends have told me that interest in Mysore Dasara has come down a bit. I don’t know”, Deshpande said, as he highlighted the steps to be taken to promote the festivities aggressively among tourists in India and overseas.
Plans are on by Karnataka Tourism Development Corporation and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation to work out attractive bus and taxi packages so that the tourists have an opportunity to visit attractions in surrounding areas like Kodagu.
Jnanpith Award winner and Kannada writer Chandrashekar Kambar will inaugurate the Mysore Dasara on October five, while theatre personality and Enagi Balappa would open the cultural festivities.
