6th India Heritage Tourism Conclave- ‘Sustaining Heritage Tourism of Khajuraho’ 17th March, 2017, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry with an aim of generating awareness about promoting Heritage Tourism in our country with a focus on the mystical land of Khajuraho and putting it on the Global map as a prominent heritage tourism destination, organized the 6th India Heritage Tourism Conclave-‘Sustaining Heritage Tourism of Khajuraho’ on 17th March 2017 in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.

 The objective of this conclave was to highlight the importance of the heritage city (Khajuraho) which has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples in India and is considered the “high point” of Indian architectural genius during the medieval times.

 Mr. Rajan Sehgal, Co Chairman, Tourism Committee, PHD Chamber, in his address highlighted the need of improvement in the connectivity infrastructure such as better rail and air connectivity which shall further aid in promoting tourism to the city.

 Smt. Kavita Singh (Rani Sahiba), Mayor, Khajuraho emphasized on the promotion of heritage of places like Dobhal, Orrcha, Bhimkund and Basmati which have remained unexplored, and said that the beauty of these places is mesmerizing.

 Mr. Ambuj Saxena, from BnB Nation gave a presentation on how to  encourage the inflow of tourists to Khajuraho by using social media. It is a unique way for the tourists to come and visit and share their experiences on social media.

 Mr. Igor Polikha, Ambassador, Embassy of Ukraine to New Delhi, addressed the gathering in Hindi.  He said that he was totally enchanted by the beauty of Khajuraho and was impressed by the cleanliness of the place. He said that there are more than 30,000 tourists who visit India from Ukraine. He requested the tour and travel operator industry to promote places like Khajuraho for the world to know and for people from all over the world to come and visit.

 Mr. Brijendra Singh Rathore, Ex-MLA, Prithvipur/ Newari in his address expressed his gratitude to Mr. Raja Bundela, Mr. Brijendra Singh and Mr. Narayan Singh Bhayal for their contribution to promote Khajuraho. He also emphasized that it is the responsibility of the Central and the State government to jointly promote the heritage tourism of Khajuraho. He also stressed on the need for better air and rail connectivity.

 Mr. G G Saxena, IAS (Retd), Former MD, Delhi Tourism Development Corporation, suggested a PPP model on the development of Khajuraho. He recommended starting special train services since the airfares are expensive.  Since we have the best technology services in our country, we should do everything in preserving the heritage of a place like Khajuraho.

 Mr. Arun Pateria, CMO, Khajuraho, in his address promised to take immediate action on all the suggestions and recommendations made by the eminent speakers in promoting the heritage tourism of Khajuarho.

 Mr. A B Shukla, IAS (Retd), Member, National Monuments Authority,  emphasized on working together under one umbrella t develop and promote beautiful city of Khajuraho.

 Mr. Raja Bundela, Honorary Member, Media and Entertainment Committee, PHD Chamber, in his address expressed his gratitude to all the distinguished speakers and guests present for the conclave. He stressed on forming a local committee in Khajuraho which would have local participation and will work closely on the problems faced by the tourists. He also said that there is a need for improving the tour packages for the tourists who visit Khajuraho.  He also proposed to organize a theatre festival in Panna, Madhya Pradesh in the month of July/August 2017.

 Those who graced the occasion were Smt. Kavita Singh (Rani Sahiba), Mayor, Khajuraho, Mr. Brijendra Singh Rathore, Ex-MLA, Prithvipur/ Newari, Ms Daniela Maria, Head, Culture Department, Embassy of Romania to New Delhi, H.E. Mr Igor Polikha, Ambassador, Embassy of Ukraine to New Delhi, Mr. Narayan Singh Bhayal, Convenor, INTACH, Khajuraho, Mr. G G  Saxena, IAS (Retd), Former MD, Delhi Tourism Development Corporation, Mr. A B Shukla, IAS (Retd), Member, National Monuments Authority, Mr. Vikram Singh, MLA, Rajnagar, Mr. Shankar Pratap Singh, Mr. Manvendra Singh, MLA, Mr. Arun Pateria, CMO, Khajuraho, Mr. Ramesh Bhandari, District  Magistrate, Chattarpur,  Shri. Pushpendra Singh (Guddu Raja), President, Chatarpur District, Madhya Pradesh, Ms. Archana Singh, Mayor, Chhatarpur District, Madhya Pradesh,  Mr. Govind Singh, Mr. Bahadur Singh, Prominent Educationist, Mr. Surya Pratap Singh, Darshana NGO, Mr. Brijendra Singh (Mama ji), Khajuraho, Mr. Ambuj Saxena, BnB Nation, Mr. Manoj Kumar, Delhi Tourism , Ms. Yana and Ms. Elina, INTACH, Mr. Rajan Sehgal, Co Chairman, Tourism Committee, PHD Chamber, Mr. Raja Bundela, Honorary Member, Media and Entertainment Committee, PHD Chamber, Mr. Anuj Gupta, Honorary Member, Tourism Committee, PHD Chamber and Mr. Yogesh Srivastav, Director, PHD Chamber.