Govt plans to promote Valmiki Tiger Reserve as Ecotourism destination

Bihar government is planning to bring Valmiki Tiger Reserve on the tourist map of the state by promoting it as an Ecotourism destination.

According to a report in The Telegraph, to promote the tiger reserve as a tourism hotspot, the state forest department is planning to set up hoardings at important places of the state such as national highways, airports, etc giving brief information about it. A tourist hostel would also be in place soon. Unlike some popular tiger reserves of the country, the tourism potential of Valmiki Tiger Reserve, spread over an area of about 840 sq kms, has remained untapped till date.

“The Ecotourism in Uttarakhand’s Jim Corbett National Park generates around Rs 300 crore to the local economy. The Valmiki Tiger Reserve’s potential, however, has remained untapped even 20 years after its inception,” said a field official of the reserve.

The situation now is likely to change, as the state forest department officials are busy working out a plan of action to attract tourists’ attention towards the reserve. “We are studying the different models adopted in different tiger reserves like Jim Corbett in Uttarakhand, Pench in Madhya Pradesh, and Sunderbans and Buxa in Bengal, for promoting Ecotourism. This would help us chart out a comprehensive plan with regards to Valmiki Tiger Reserve,” said Mithilesh Kumar, Chief wildlife warden, Bihar. He said the plan would take special care of the role of the people residing nearby in various services required for tourists.

He added that India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC), too, would be approached for promoting Valmiki Tiger Reserve as a tourist destination. To ensure that tourists get basic facilities once they start visiting the reserve after the launch of the campaign, the forest department has decided to have a tourist hostel in place. “A proposal in this regard would be sent to the state tourism department as they have the expertise in setting up such facilities,” said Kumar.