Elections in India are always a spectacle: loud, garish, in-your-face and never without action. Brilliant idea, this.
Rafat Ali
by Mahesh Trivedi, Khaleej Times
Gujaratis looking for opportunities to rake in the moolah are now planning to cash in on the assembly elections in December when foreign tourists flock to India.
Tour operators have decided to turn the once-in-five-years ballot-box battle into an attraction for holidayers by offering them visits to polling booths, interviews with candidates, meetings with politicians and tours to the majestic hall of the legislative assembly and venues of public rallies.
Manish Sharma, chairman of the Gujarat Association of Tour Operators (Gato), told that his counterparts in the Middle East and China have already evinced interest in promoting ‘election tourism’ for which bookings will start after Diwali. GATO , which has sent a note on the novel concept to chief electoral officer of Gujarat, Anita Karwal, will present the idea at the four-day World Travel Market (WTM) beginning in London on November 5.
According to Sharma, about 110 countries are expected to participate in the London show but the operators plan to woo tourists mainly from the UK, Ukraine, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Canada, New Zealandand Australia. He said that the colour, noise, controversies, and drama during the polls would take foreigners by storm.
Citing Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s recent tweet that elections were the biggest festival of democracy, the tour operators want to sell the battle of ballots as a festival ‘without interfering with the election process’.
The Indian Express Journalism of Courage
A group of travel operators claiming to “work at” Gujarat Tourism are busy promoting “Election Tourism Gujarat 2012”, inviting clients to come and see the upcoming Assembly polls and even tour the Vidhan Sabha and meet political leaders.
A post on Facebook by this group reads, “Enjoy world’s biggest democratic election in Gujarat 2012; Visit Gujarat to experience the peaceful election of the world’s biggest democratic country India; Visit and see how people elect their leaders; How political leaders convenience the local public to get votes from them (sic) “and so on.
Information posted about the group on Facebook says it “works at” Gujarat Tourism, which is a link of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd, a Gujarat government arm.
The group of travel operators under the banner of Gujarat Association of Tour Operators (GATO), which is promoting this concept, claims it has already received a lot of queries from visitors.
Coming right after Diwali, the tour operators are selling the elections as a “festival”, perhaps taking cue from Chief Minister Narendra Modi who had tweeted on October 3, “Elections are the biggest festival of democracy. We will take part with true festive spirit. I welcome announcement of the poll dates.”
GATO had even written to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer Anita Karwal on October 18, seeking an appointment to discuss the concept. It got no response, says Manish Sharma, president of GATO who also runs a travel company.
“We will be happy if the Election Commission endorses our idea. However, they are yet to respond. The whole idea is to give the tourists an opportunity to see how political parties campaign during elections, both in rural as well as urban areas. We have already talked to several political parties and they have no objections,” says Sharma.
To attract tourists during the elections in December, these tour operators also plan to exhibit their concept of “Election Tourism” at the World Travel Market (WTM) being held in the first week of November in London, where 100-odd countries will participate.
Sharma’s Akshar Travels had ferried tourists to the desert festival “Rannotsav” organised by the state’s tourism department. In fact, the travel company’s toll-free number for enquiries posted on its poster promoting election tourism and the one posted on the Gujarat government’s official tourism website gujarattourism.com are the same.
Sharma claims international tour operators, especially in China and Middle East countries, have already started enquiring about the concept. He says the bookings are likely to start after Diwali.
The state’s tourism department denied any official sanction for such tour packages. “Considering that the code of conduct is in place, all government bodies are strictly adhering to the same and it is no different for the tourism department,” said an official spokesperson from TCGL (Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited).
State’s Tourism and Health Minister Jay Narayan Vyas also denied any knowledge of it. “We are not offering any ‘election packages’. But it definitely looks like a market opportunity that some tour operators have utilised. After the UK restarted dialogue with us and normalised ties, we are getting a lot of attention not only from investors but from other people as well. If any tour operator’s website or page is linked with Gujarat Tourism, it will ultimately bring more tourists to Gujarat.”
Lakshmi Ajay , Satish Jha : Ahmedabad
AHMEDABAD: Trust Gujaratis to smell a business opportunity in the most unexpected corners! The Gujarat Association of Tour Operators (Gato) plans to offer 'election tourism' to foreign travellers on the two days fixed for polling in the state — December 13 and 17.
The idea to market the election will be promoted at the upcoming four-day 'World Travel Market' at London, starting November 5. A concept note in this regard has already been sent to chief electoral officer of Gujarat, Anita Karwal.
"Most of our members are looking forward to conducting such tours. The assembly elections in Gujarat will be a good start. It has all the colour, noise, controversies, and drama," says Gato chairman Manish Sharma. "A separate section of our plan involves showing the guests how free and fair elections are conducted. The vast government machinery involved in the exercise will also be a highlight."
The countries from where the operators plan to attract tourists initially are the UK, Ukraine, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Sharma says that tourists will also be taken to villages and small towns to interact with locals on what election means to them. "The three-tier democratic process, which includes the panchayati system is a unique form of governance. Visitors will be shown how votes are cast. How caste and community equations play a crucial role in Indian elections. We will interview a few candidates who are following the voting percentages of different constituencies. However, we will not interfere with the election process."
It is now left to the Election Commission to decide whether it wants to turn the drama of elections into a tourist attraction or not.
Paul John
Well, here's a novel new idea! According to this news report, the Gujarat Association of Tour Operators (GATO) wants to turn the state's election process into a tourist attraction for foreigners. It plans on offering "Election Tourism" on two polling dates for the upcoming legislative assembly election, December 13 and 17.
Apparently, GATO intends to promote the concept at the 2012 World Travel Market in London, starting on November 5. But why do they think foreigners would be interested in the election process?
"It has all the color, noise, controversies, and drama," says GATO chairman Manish Sharma.
Sharma says that tourists will also be taken to villages and small towns to interact with locals on what election means to them. "The three-tier democratic process, which includes the panchayati system is a unique form of governance. Visitors will be shown how votes are cast. How caste and community equations play a crucial role in Indian elections. We will interview a few candidates who are following the voting percentages of different constituencies."
However, when Sharma also mentions, "a separate section of our plan involves showing the guests how free and fair elections are conducted," it makes me wonder how realistic the tour will be.
To give the Indian Election Commission credit, it has tried to make the election process free and fair. Yet, corruption in Indian elections continues to be a key issue amongst parties and their candidates. Unethical practices such as bribery, intimidation, and misuse of office and power are still considered to be common, and are often difficult to detect and prevent.
An example of this is the buying of votes. As this blog post highlights, controversy is already rife in Gujarat as a result of surveillance teams checking vehicles in major cities and seizing large amounts of cash that can't officially be accounted for.
I'm also sure that foreign tourists from developed countries would be dismayed (like I was) to learn of the number of politicians with criminal records that run for election.
I wonder how these issues would be addressed on an election tour, or if they would be addressed at all.
What are your thoughts about election tourism?
Sharell Cook
The Gujarat Association of Tour Operators (GATO) plans to start 'Election Tourism' for foreign travellers on the two days fixed for polling in the state - December 13 and 17, this year. The idea to market the election will be promoted at the four-day World Travel Market (WTM) 2012 at London, starting November 5. A concept note in this regard has already been sent to Anita Karwal, Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat, according to a report by Paul John in The Times of India. The countries from where the operators plan to attract tourists initially are UK, Ukraine, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
"Most of our members are looking forward to conducting such tours. The assembly elections in Gujarat will be a good start. It has all the colour, noise, controversies, and drama," said Manish Sharma, Chairman, GATO. "A separate section of our plan involves showing the guests how free and fair elections are conducted. The vast government machinery involved in the exercise will also be a highlight," he said.
Sharma said that tourists will also be taken to villages and small towns to interact with locals on what election means to them. "The three-tier democratic process, which includes the Panchayat system, is a unique form of governance. Visitors will be shown how votes are cast; how caste and community equations play a crucial role in Indian elections. We will interview a few candidates who are following the voting percentages of different constituencies. However, we will not interfere with the election process."
By TBM Staff | Mumbai
Ahmedabad Claim on Facebook they ‘work at’ Gujarat Tourism, minister, tourism department deny any knowledge.
A group of travel operators claiming to “work at” Gujarat Tourism are busy promoting “Election Tourism Gujarat 2012”, inviting clients to come and see the upcoming Assembly polls and even tour the Vidhan Sabha and meet political leaders.
A post on Facebook by this group reads, “Enjoy world’s biggest democratic election in Gujarat 2012; Visit Gujarat to experience the peaceful election of the world’s biggest democratic country India; Visit and see how people elect their leaders; How political leaders convenience the local public to get votes from them (sic) “and so on.
Information posted about the group on Facebook says it “works at” Gujarat Tourism, which is a link of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd, a Gujarat government arm.
The group of travel operators under the banner of Gujarat Association of Tour Operators (GATO), which is promoting this concept, claims it has already received a lot of queries from visitors.
Coming right after Diwali, the tour operators are selling the elections as a “festival”, perhaps taking cue from Chief Minister Narendra Modi who had tweeted on October 3, “Elections are the biggest festival of democracy. We will take part with true festive spirit. I welcome announcement of the poll dates.”
GATO had even written to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer Anita Karwal on October 18, seeking an appointment to discuss the concept. It got no response, says Manish Sharma, president of GATO who also runs a travel company.
“We will be happy if the Election Commission endorses our idea. However, they are yet to respond. The whole idea is to give the tourists an opportunity to see how political parties campaign during elections, both in rural as well as urban areas. We have already talked to several political parties and they have no objections,” says Sharma.
To attract tourists during the elections in December, these tour operators also plan to exhibit their concept of “Election Tourism” at the World Travel Market (WTM) being held in the first week of November in London, where 100-odd countries will participate.
Sharma’s Akshar Travels had ferried tourists to the desert festival “Rannotsav” organised by the state’s tourism department. In fact, the travel company’s toll-free number for enquiries posted on its poster promoting election tourism and the one posted on the Gujarat government’s official tourism website gujarattourism.com are the same.
Sharma claims international tour operators, especially in China and Middle East countries, have already started enquiring about the concept. He says the bookings are likely to start after Diwali.
The state’s tourism department denied any official sanction for such tour packages. “Considering that the code of conduct is in place, all government bodies are strictly adhering to the same and it is no different for the tourism department,” said an official spokesperson from TCGL (Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited).
State’s Tourism and Health Minister Jay Narayan Vyas also denied any knowledge of it. “We are not offering any ‘election packages’. But it definitely looks like a market opportunity that some tour operators have utilised. After the UK restarted dialogue with us and normalised ties, we are getting a lot of attention not only from investors but from other people as well. If any tour operator’s website or page is linked with Gujarat Tourism, it will ultimately bring more tourists to Gujarat.”
Lakshmi Ajay,Satish Jha
International tourists visiting poll-bound Gujarat this December can now get a peep into the conduct of Assembly polls with tourism specialists mooting the concept of 'election tourism'.
"The concept of 'election tourism' was introduced at World Tourism Mart held in London earlier this month, and it has clicked," said Manish Sharma, Chairman of Gujarat Tourism Development Society (GTDS), which represents 10 private tour operators in the state.
Elections will be held in Gujarat in two phases on December 13 and 17.
As part of 'poll tourism', foreign tourists who will visit Gujarat at the time of elections, are scheduled to meet prominent BJP and opposition Congress leaders here, interact with them and develop better understanding of how public representatives get elected in India.
According to GTDS, the heritage, religious and adventure tourist circuits in the state have been clubbed with assembly constituencies to cater to tourists.
If marketing elections, often termed as the biggest festival of democracy, is a niche concept, the thrill of having a closer glimpse into the conduct of Assembly polls in the world's biggest democracy seems to have arrested the attention of globe-trotters.
"We have received over 150 confirmations from countries like Egypt, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Germany, Ukraine who had participated in WTM," Sharma claimed.
Tour operators and tourism boards from across the world had participated in the WTM event.
"A lot of international travellers visit Gujarat in December for Rann Mahotsav in Kutch. We just convinced them to prepone their visit by a week so that they could get a fair idea of this biggest festival of democracy: the election," he said.
Thrilled by the response, GTDS feels the concept could be replicated in the 2014 general elections as well.
"This new concept, which has made our tourism packages more power-packed and knowledge-based, could be replicated for 2014 Lok Sabha elections," Sharma said.
"Election tourism has evoked response from youngsters who are interested in research on democracy, Sharma said, adding this would help us promote inter-state tourism too.
GTDS has also sought permission from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take these international travellers to polling stations and show them how people in India exercise their franchise.
"We have written to ECI seeking permission to take these international travellers to polling stations, but so far there has been no response," Sharma said.
Tourism Corporation Gujarat Limited (TCGL), an arm of Gujarat government, has disassociated itself from the tourism promotion exercise being taken up by local tour and travel operators.
Trust Gujarat to come up with this one. Known for its enterprising skills, the state is now milking the coming elections. Tour operators will start 'poll tourism' for foreigners during the two phases of elections on December 13 and 17, something unheard of before.
But then Gujarat has always aggressively promoted itself, be it wildlife sanctuaries such as Gir Forest, monuments like Champaner Fort or religious places such as the Sun Temple in Somnath. And with this innovative move, tour operators are hoping to draw in more crowds. Last year alone, some 4.5 lakh foreigners and NRIs visited the state.
Manish Sharma, chairman of Gujarat Tourism Development Society, says, "This idea cropped up when I visited Mexico in 2005 where poll tourism was being discussed. I thought of trying it out in Gujarat. When this idea was mooted at the World Travel Market in London in November where some 100 tour operators " and tourism boards took part, the response was encouraging.
Some 32 tour operators in Gujarat, Delhi and Ahmedabad have joined hands to get these tourists to India. Already, 230 international tourists have confirmed participation. Many are curious about how polls are conducted in the world's largest democracy and especially Gujarat, where chief minister Narender Modi has evoked both international praise as well as censure.
"They will meet local politicians, see how they interact with the electorate, how elections are conducted peacefully and visit a booth from outside, if permitted. In December, more than 25,000 NRIs and 5,000 foreign tourists come to Gujarat. It's also the time for weddings. Elections are just as festive with shehnais, dandiyas, garlanded candidates going to temples, meet" ings going on till late in the night..., he says.
The operators have campaigned for two months, most of it online. "We have spread the message through Facebook, emails and websites to foreign tour operators and have got a good response from the UK, Ukraine, Indonesia, Thailand, Sin" gapore, Uganda, Kenya, France, Italy, Canada and Australia, says Suhag Modi, manager of Akshar Travels in Ahmedabad. "Poll tourism will also be combined with the Kutch Rann Utsav " 2012 which continues till January 31, 2013, says Sharma.
The itinery for these tourists has been divided into North and South Gujarat and Saurashtra and includes places such as Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Surat, Patan, Mehsana , Rajkot, Junagadh, Somnath and Porbandar. If this strategy works, Sharma says it could well be emulated for the 2014 general elections.
Politicians are gung-ho about the whole exercise. Former agriculture minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, the BJP candidate from Dholka, says, "The world's eyes are on Gujarat as it's now identified with progress and development. Earlier, Gujarat was identified with communal riots but it has been peaceful for " the last 11 years. I will show the tourists how polls are conducted.
However, not all are enamored by this idea. Social scientist Shiv Visvananthan says that tourists will see the spectacle of polls but not its dynamism. "What is it that they will be shown — will it be Modi in 3D, will they be taken to Muslim areas, to tribal pockets...? This is a gimmicky idea like slum tourism, a trailer of a festival called democracy." But he admits that seeing vast hordes coming to vote may be educative to the West where polls are often marked by absentism.
Tour operators abroad, meanwhile, see this as a new opportunity. Katerina Lishchuk, director of Kiev4u, a travel agency in Ukraine, tells Sunday Times that from October to February 75% of Ukrainians travel abroad, especially to warm countries such as India and Peru. "This year, for the first time, we decided to make Gujarat a new destination because within a 200 km radius, one can find forests, mountains, beaches and deserts." She will send 25 Ukrainians for these elections. "Ukraine, too, had polls this year. So this will be an educative trip for many as Ukraine is only 21 years old after breaking away from the Soviet Union. We even had Gujarati Day here on October 26."
In London, Anju Patel, a tour operator, will be sending about 200 foreign tourists to Gujarat. "Indian polls are so different from those in the UK where it's quieter. Many want to combine poll tourism with the temple circuit and will be in Gujarat for 2-3 weeks. It'll cost them around 1,000 pounds, excluding air fare." Let the show begin.
Shobha John
Ahmedabad, Nov 29: The Gujarat election this year is important not only from political point of view but also an economic one. International tourists visiting the state this winter can witness how the people of the world's largest democracy celebrate its biggest festival, i.e., election.
Tourism experts, who term the concept as 'election tourism', said it first gained prominence at the World Tourism Mart (WTM) held in London earlier this month and has been a success. As part of the election tourism, foreign tourists, who will be in Gujarat during the election time, will meet prominent leaders from both the main contending parties, the Congress and BJP, and interact with them to understand how popular representatives get elected in India. Sources in
Gujarat Tourism Development Society (GTDS) said the popular tourist spots in the state have been clubbed with various assembly constituencies to cater to the tourists' interest.
It was learnt that confirmations were received from countries like Egypt, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and Germany who had taken part in the WTM. Several international tourists visit Gujarat for Rann Mahotsav in Kutch in December and this time, the two-phased election has become an added attraction for them. Gujarat will go to polls on Dec 13 and 17 while the results will be declared on Dec 20. GTDS authorities said they had requested the visitors to bring their plan to visit Gujarat by a week so that they could witness the biggest festival of democracy.
Shubham Ghosh
While elections may give sleepless nights to tour operators in other parts of India, Gujarat tourism has find a way to cash on it. The tour operators in Gujarat have introduced Election tourism to woo foreign tourists.
The idea has been proposed by the Gujarat Tourism Development Society. It was announced during the World Tourism Mart in London. According to the GTDS, response so far from the foreign tourists is very encouraging.
However Tourism Corporation Gujarat Limited which is operated by Gujarat government has completely sidelined itself from the idea. It has made it clear that this idea belongs to some local tour operators and TCGL is no part of it.
According to some tour operators, they were expecting TCGL to sideline itself since being a government body if it had participated in such plan, it may have lead to some sort of complain to the Election Commission.
The Gujarat Tourism Development Society has said that India is the largest democracy in the world and people around the world are interested in seeing how it functions. It calls the elections as Festival of Democracy.
The foreign tourists will visit Gujarat during the time of elections and will interact with leaders from both ruling BJP and opposition Congress party. They will also see how elections are held in India. GTDS also want to take tourists to polling booth on the days of elections to show them how Indians cast their vote.
In this regard tour operators have written to the Election Commission but didn't received any response yet. So far 150 tourists from various countries have confirmed their participation. These participants are from countries like Egypt, Turkey, Ukraine and Germany.
The GTDS think that timing of elections is good. The elections will be conducted in Gujarat in two stages on December 13 and 17. This is around the time of Rann Utsav which attracts thousands of tourists to Gujarat.
Mayank Gupta
International tourists visiting poll-bound Gujarat this December can now get a peep into the conduct of Assembly polls with tourism specialists mooting the concept of ‘election tourism’.
“The concept of ‘election tourism’ was introduced at the World Tourism Mart held in London earlier this month, and it has clicked,” said Manish Sharma, Chairman of the Gujarat Tourism Development Society (GTDS), which represents 10 private tour operators in the State. Elections will be held in Gujarat in two phases on December 13 and 17.
As part of ‘poll tourism’, foreign tourists who visit Gujarat at the time of the elections, would meet prominent BJP and Opposition Congress leaders here, interact with them and develop a better understanding of how public representatives get elected in India. According to the GTDS, the heritage, religious and adventure tourist circuits in the State have been clubbed with the Assembly constituencies to cater to tourists.
If marketing elections, often termed as the biggest festival of democracy, is a niche concept, the thrill of having a closer glimpse into the conduct of Assembly polls in the world’s biggest democracy seems to have arrested the attention of globetrotters.
“We have received over 150 confirmations from countries such as Egypt, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Germany, Ukraine who had participated in WTM,” Sharma claimed.
Tour operators and tourism boards from across the world had participated in the WTM event.
“A lot of international travellers visit Gujarat in December for the Rann Mahotsav in Kutch. We just convinced them to pre-pone their visit by a week so that they could get a fair idea of this biggest festival of democracy: the election,” he said.
International tourists visiting poll-bound Gujarat this December can now get a peep into the conduct of Assembly polls with tourism specialists mooting the concept of 'election tourism'.
"The concept of 'election tourism' was introduced at World Tourism Mart held in London earlier this month, and it has clicked," said Manish Sharma, Chairman of Gujarat Tourism Development Society (GTDS), which represents 10 private tour operators in the state.
Elections will be held in Gujarat in two phases on December 13 and 17.
As part of 'poll tourism', foreign tourists, who will visit Gujarat at the time of elections, are scheduled to meet prominent BJP and opposition Congress leaders in Gujarat, interact with them and develop better understanding of how public representatives get elected in India.
According to GTDS, the heritage, religious and adventure tourist circuits in the state have been clubbed with assembly constituencies to cater to tourists.
If marketing elections, often termed as the biggest festival of democracy, is a niche concept, the thrill of having a closer glimpse into the conduct of Assembly polls in the world's biggest democracy seems to have arrested the attention of globe-trotters.
"We have received over 150 confirmations from countries like Egypt, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Germany, Ukraine who had participated in WTM," Mr Sharma claimed.
Tour operators and tourism boards from across the world had participated in the WTM event.
"A lot of international travellers visit Gujarat in December for Rann Mahotsav in Kutch. We just convinced them to pre-pone their visit by a week so that they could get a fair idea of this biggest festival of democracy: the election," he said.
Press Trust of India
Trust the western Indian state of Gujarat to come up with this one. Known for its enterprising skills, the state is now milking the coming elections. Tour operators will start 'poll tourism' for foreigners during the two phases of elections on December 13 and 17, something unheard of before.
But then Gujarat has always aggressively promoted itself, be it wildlife sanctuaries such as Gir Forest, monuments like Champaner Fort or religious places such as the Sun Temple in Somnath. And with this innovative move, tour operators are hoping to draw in more crowds. Last year alone, some 4.5 lakh foreigners and NRIs visited the state.
Manish Sharma, chairman of Gujarat Tourism Development Society, says, "This idea cropped up when I visited Mexico in 2005 where poll tourism was being discussed. I thought of trying it out in Gujarat. When this idea was mooted at the World Travel Market in London in November where some 100 tour operators " and tourism boards took part, the response was encouraging.
Some 32 tour operators in Gujarat, Delhi and Ahmedabad have joined hands to get these tourists to India. Already, 230 international tourists have confirmed participation. Many are curious about how polls are conducted in the world's largest democracy and especially Gujarat, where chief minister Narender Modi has evoked both international praise as well as censure.
"They will meet local politicians, see how they interact with the electorate, how elections are conducted peacefully and visit a booth from outside, if permitted. In December, more than 25,000 NRIs and 5,000 foreign tourists come to Gujarat. It's also the time for weddings. Elections are just as festive with shehnais, dandiyas, garlanded candidates going to temples, meet" ings going on till late in the night..., he says.
The operators have campaigned for two months, most of it online. "We have spread the message through Facebook, emails and websites to foreign tour operators and have got a good response from the UK, Ukraine, Indonesia, Thailand, Sin" gapore, Uganda, Kenya, France, Italy, Canada and Australia, says Suhag Modi, manager of Akshar Travels in Ahmedabad. "Poll tourism will also be combined with the Kutch Rann Utsav " 2012 which continues till January 31, 2013, says Sharma.
The itinery for these tourists has been divided into North and South Gujarat and Saurashtra and includes places such as Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Surat, Patan, Mehsana , Rajkot, Junagadh, Somnath and Porbandar. If this strategy works, Sharma says it could well be emulated for the 2014 general elections.
Politicians are gung-ho about the whole exercise. Former agriculture minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, the BJP candidate from Dholka, says, "The world's eyes are on Gujarat as it's now identified with progress and development. Earlier, Gujarat was identified with communal riots but it has been peaceful for " the last 11 years. I will show the tourists how polls are conducted.
However, not all are enamored by this idea. Social scientist Shiv Visvananthan says that tourists will see the spectacle of polls but not its dynamism. "What is it that they will be shown - will it be Modi in 3D, will they be taken to Muslim areas, to tribal pockets...? This is a gimmicky idea like slum tourism, a trailer of a festival called democracy." But he admits that seeing vast hordes coming to vote may be educative to the West where polls are often marked by absentism.
Tour operators abroad, meanwhile, see this as a new opportunity. Katerina Lishchuk, director of Kiev4u, a travel agency in Ukraine, tells Sunday Times that from October to February 75% of Ukrainians travel abroad, especially to warm countries such as India and Peru. "This year, for the first time, we decided to make Gujarat a new destination because within a 200 km radius, one can find forests, mountains, beaches and deserts." She will send 25 Ukrainians for these elections. "Ukraine, too, had polls this year. So this will be an educative trip for many as Ukraine is only 21 years old after breaking away from the Soviet Union. We even had Gujarati Day here on October 26."
In London, Anju Patel, a tour operator, will be sending about 200 foreign tourists to Gujarat. "Indian polls are so different from those in the UK where it's quieter. Many want to combine poll tourism with the temple circuit and will be in Gujarat for 2-3 weeks. It'll cost them around 1,000 pounds, excluding air fare." Let the show begin.
Shobha John
Ahmedabad: Gujarat Tourism Development Society (GTDS), is all set to entice foreign tourist in the state by allowing them to peep into the workings of Indian Democracy with their latest innovation of ‘election tourism’.
“The concept of ‘election tourism’ was introduced at World Tourism Mart held in London earlier this month, and it has clicked,” said Manish Sharma, Chairman of Gujarat Tourism Development Society (GTDS), which represents 10 private tour operators in the state told Gulf News.
International tourist visiting the state at the time of the assembly elections, are scheduled to meet prominent leaders of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, and interact with them and develop better understanding of how public representatives get elected in India. In true Gujarati style of entrepreneurship leaders of both the parties are quite upbeat about it. “At the end of the day we are fighting to make Gujarat a better place, if this makes the people of world more comfortable in coming to the state, we will be happy to interact with them,” said Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi.
“Whether it through Vibrant Gujarat or our tourism initiatives, we always welcome foreigners to come to our state and experience our wonderful heritage. Also people will come to know not only about the development of the state, but appreciate the way democracy functions here in the state and India,” said BJP media cell convener Jagdish Bhavsar.
Even the election commission is geared to take the challenge of meeting the tourist and showing them the process of elections. “Election Commission of India (ECI) has been one of the most respected organisations of India worldwide for the way it conducts smooth and fair elections year after year and makes the world’s largest democracy function the way it does. We will be happy to showcase the world our capabilities. Every year we get invitation from universities all over the world to come and talk about functioning of democracy,” Akshay Raut, Director General of ECI told Gulf News.
“This is certainly an innovative plan and should be done in every state during elections as then people will understand that elections are a part of governance and not an hindrance to it. Also it showcases the political maturity of the people of the state that development happens irrespective of political changes,” said GTDS chairman Sharma.
According to GTDS, the heritage, religious and adventure tourist circuits in the state have been clubbed with assembly constituencies to cater to tourists. Elections, are often termed as the biggest festival of democracy, and the concept of having a closer glimpse into the conduct of Assembly polls in the world’s biggest democracy seems to have arrested the attention of globe-trotters. “We have received over 150 confirmations from countries like Egypt, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Germany, Ukraine who had participated in WTM,” Sharma claimed.
Tour operators and tourism boards from across the world had participated in the WTM event. “A lot of international travellers visit Gujarat in December for Rann Mahotsav in Kutch. We just convinced them to pre-pone their visit by a week so that they could get a fair idea of this biggest festival of democracy: the election,” he said.
The Gujarat election this year is important not only from political point of view but also an economic one. International tourists visiting the state this winter can witness how the people of the world's largest democracy celebrate its biggest festival, i.e., election. Tourism experts, who term the concept as 'election tourism', said it first gained prominence at the World Tourism Mart (WTM) held in London earlier this month and has been a success. As part of the election tourism, foreign tourists, who will be in Gujarat during the election time, will meet prominent leaders from both the main contending parties, the Congress and BJP, and interact with them to understand how popular representatives get elected in India. Sources in Gujarat Tourism Development Society (GTDS) said the popular tourist spots in the state have been clubbed with various assembly constituencies to cater to the tourists' interest. It was learnt that confirmations were received from countries like Egypt, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and Germany who had taken part in the WTM. Several international tourists visit Gujarat for Rann Mahotsav in Kutch in December and this time, the two-phased election has become an added attraction for them. Gujarat will go to polls on Dec 13 and 17 while the results will be declared on Dec 20. GTDS authorities said they had requested the visitors to bring their plan to visit Gujarat by a week so that they could witness the biggest festival of democracy.
Shubham Ghosh
Tags: Gujarat Assembly Elections 2012, Poll Tourism, Gujarat Ahmedabad: International tourists visiting poll-bound Gujarat this December can now get a peep into the conduct of Assembly polls with tourism specialists mooting the concept of 'election tourism'.
"The concept of 'election tourism' was introduced at World Tourism Mart held in London earlier this month, and it has clicked," said Manish Sharma, the chairman of Gujarat Tourism Development Society (GTDS), which represents 10 private tour operators in the state.
Elections will be held in Gujarat in two phases on December 13 and 17.
As part of 'poll tourism', foreign tourists who will visit Gujarat at the time of elections, are scheduled to meet prominent BJP and opposition Congress leaders here, interact with them and develop better understanding of how public representatives get elected in India.
According to GTDS, the heritage, religious and adventure tourist circuits in the state have been clubbed with Assembly constituencies to cater to tourists.
If marketing elections, often termed as the biggest festival of democracy, is a niche concept, the thrill of having a closer glimpse into the conduct of Assembly polls in the world's biggest democracy seems to have arrested the attention of globe-trotters.
"We have received over 150 confirmations from countries like Egypt, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Germany, Ukraine who had participated in WTM," Sharma claimed.
Tour operators and tourism boards from across the world had participated in the WTM event.
"A lot of international travellers visit Gujarat in December for Rann Mahotsav in Kutch. We just convinced them to prepone their visit by a week so that they could get a fair idea of this biggest festival of democracy: the election," he said. Thrilled by the response, GTDS feels the concept could be replicated in the 2014 General Elections as well.
"This new concept, which has made our tourism packages more power-packed and knowledge-based, could be replicated for 2014 Lok Sabha elections," Sharma said.
"Election tourism has evoked response from youngsters who are interested in research on democracy,” Sharma said, adding this would help us promote inter-state tourism too.
GTDS has also sought permission from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take these international travellers to polling stations and show them how people in India exercise their franchise.
"We have written to ECI seeking permission to take these international travellers to polling stations, but so far there has been no response," Sharma said.
Tourism Corporation Gujarat Limited (TCGL), an arm of Gujarat government, has disassociated itself from the tourism promotion exercise being taken up by local tour and travel operators.
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INDIA, being the largest democracy, attracts worldwide attention in every aspect. Be it it's culture or the people. Forthcoming General Elections 2014, especially, has the world's eyes on it. Keeping in mind the immense interest generated, we at "Tourism Development Corporation" are providing packages under our especially designed campaign - "Election Tourism India 2014". The visitors will have an opportunity to explore our vibrant democracy accommodating different cultures, the workings of various national/state political parties and can be part of their election rallies too. I look forward to welcoming all.