Madhya Pradesh Trains Women for Safer Tourism Experience

Hyderabad: Madhya Pradesh is focusing on training and employing women at tourist destinations to make it safe for women travellers, the state’s tourism board managing director Bidisha Mukherjee said on Thursday, on the sidelines of a road show here to showcase the state’s attractions.

“We have trained 10,000 women, including those who drive jeeps in safaris and work in the field at tourism locations. These women staff ensures that solo female travellers feel secure and supported," Mukherjee told Deccan Chronicle.

The MPTB’s roadshow highlighted spiritual sites like the Mahakal Lok in Ujjain and India’s tallest statue of Adi Shankaracharya and sought to develop connections with tourism stakeholders in Hyderabad.

The event, ‘Green, Clean and Safe Madhya Pradesh’ highlighted the state’s diverse tourism offerings, including its 14 Unesco world heritage sites, tiger parks with 785 tigers and new spiritual circuits. Besides promoting cultural events such as the Khajuraho Dance Festival and Tansen Samaroh, the road show also featured a masterclass for travel agents and tour operators.

“Madhya Pradesh saw a 112.1 million tourist footfalls in 2023, up from 34.1 million in 2022. We are ready to welcome more visitors with our many festivals, wildlife adventures and cultural events. The state also introduced new features like eight city intra-state air taxi services and the craft handloom village in Pranpur,” Mukherjee said.