The land which gave the concept of Democracy to the world, saw one of the greatest emperor Ashoka & his great Mauryan empire, the birth place of two religion (Jainism & Buddhism) and had an international University named ‘Nalanda’, lost its charm during the course of time. In between the increased crime and bad governance, this land of rich culture & heritage became infamous as ‘Jungle Raaz’. Bihar slowly become synonyms of all the bad things. So, even when there is so much historical, cultural & religious marvel, it couldn’t become a craze among the tourist. 

Witness the unique charm of #Bihar through its heritage sites, rich culture, and a blend of ancient and modern wonders. Come, experience its beauty and diversity! ⁰#BlissfulBihar #ExploreBihar #BiharTourism #Culture #BihariFood #Explore #HeritageSite #ecotourism #Adventure… pic.twitter.com/TLhWpmkSFt

— Bihar Tourism (@TourismBiharGov) October 5, 2023

Now, when the state government is trying to boost tourism the major challenge is awareness among the people and to fight decades-long ‘Jungle Raaj’ image. During a conversation with Indian MastermindsManaging Director of Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation IFS officer Mr. Nand Kishore said, “We have a decent tourist in-flow specially from Buddhist country who come here to visit Bodh Gaya. Now, we are tyring to attract large number of tourists from inside the country because what we can offer no other state can.”

CHANGING THE IMAGE 

Girls travelling alone are still  considered unsafe in Bihar. The  image will take time to change but the process has already begun. Bihar is participating in almost every tourism related event & show across the world. Recently, it also hosted TTF in Patna which saw massive participation by the tour operators, hoteliers and co-ordinating with adventure tourism providers. “We are meeting then and communicating how safe Bihar with various presentation and one to one communication. It has helped a lot. We are already hosting foreign tourist every year and in the past few years the local tourist has also increased. The confidence is building up slowly”, added the MD, BSTDC.

Witness @ElliAvrRam's exciting journey exploring the prominent landmarks in #Patna, and watch her savour delicious and famous cuisines of the city.
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.#IndiawithElli #BiharTourism #SwadBiharKa #BiharTourismwithCurlyTales #CurlyTalesBihar #CurlyTalesExplorebihar… pic.twitter.com/cny5pmib2c

— Bihar Tourism (@TourismBiharGov) December 3, 2023

He also pointed out the infrastructure development on various important sites is also playing a role in substantial growth in tourism. BSTDC is also providing special packages which includes Sonpur Mela, Valmiki Tiger Reserve and Bodh Gaya. The packages includes everything from picking up from airport to sight seeing, stay and then again drop off at Airport. Currently, they don’t provide online payment facility but payment gateway will be ready with two months. “The image can only change when the experience is comfortable & easy. So, we are focusing on that”, said the officer. 

BUILDING AWARENESS

Another hindrance in pushing Bihar as a tourism hub is awareness among people. Most people are not aware about the historical & cultural heritage this state holds. In recent times while the state government is focusing on advertisement of Bihar tourism, the tourism department has also increased the activity on social media. 

Highlights from the Bihari Connect event, hosted in collaboration with Bihar Foundation's UK Chapter. Secretary Tourism, Shri Abhay Kumar Singh, Director Tourism, Shri Vinay Kumar Rai, GM BSTDC, Shri Abhijeet Kumar, and other notable dignitaries graced the event.#BihariConnect… pic.twitter.com/YAl59IpPzw

— Bihar Tourism (@TourismBiharGov) November 10, 2023

The department has collaborated with many bloggers & actors and arranging for their family trip. Besides, that this year the department is hosting tour operators of Vietnam on a family trip. Highlighting the importance of social media in awareness Mr. Kishore said, ‘We have received maximum engagements when we collaborated with any influencers. Nothing can beat anyone’s personal experience. Our target is youth population and in todays time social media is the biggest tool to attract them or aware them.” He also said that department is focusing on Buddhist country for foreign tourist and building the infrastructure on religious sites that include various Hindu & Jain Temples too.