The B2B travel mart—held at the Lake View Ashok Hotel—was meant to disseminate information about the state which aims to become India’s number one state in tourism.

Inaugurating the MPTM, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Ujjain Simhastha Kumbh Mela (to be held from 22 April to 21 May, 2016) is a golden opportunity to showcase Madhya Pradesh to the rest of the world.

Chief Minister Chouhan also highlighted several focus areas, such as creating a centralised tracking system so that immediate help can be reached to tourists in trouble, boosting tourist facilities, holding an annual tourist festival on the banks of the Narmada river to showcase the state’s art and culture, etc.

Also present at the inauguration was the state’s tourism minister, Surendra Patwa, who highlighted that the state has made a lot of progress in the past decade and is ready to compete with leading Indian states in the field of tourism. The state has already inaugurated its first tourist police outpost in Pachmarhi and more are being planned. Light and sound shows are being planned to create awareness about the state’s heritage—especially in places such as Indore Rajwada, Mandu, Sanchi, etc. The state is also keen to explore adventure tourism—the Indira Sagar Dam can be a probable destination.

On the eve of MPTM, a cultural programme was held at Bhopal’s Courtyard Marriott, where we enjoyed the folk dances of Madhya Pradesh, such as the Matki dance, the Badhai dance, etc.