Jaipur: The tourism department has decided to support a travel mart in Udaipur, alongside the Rajasthan Domestic Travel Mart (RDTM) in Jaipur and the Marwar Travel Mart in Jodhpur, making up the three tourism events approved in the state Budget.The move effectively sidelines an earlier proposal to promote lesser-known destinations in the Hadauti region through a travel mart in Kota. The proposal stemmed from the maiden Kota travel mart held in Jan this year with support from the department.Industry experts said further promotion of already overcrowded destinations such as Jaipur and Udaipur could deliver diminishing returns unless the state addresses mounting pressure on civic infrastructure, monuments and tourism facilities.Former tourism secretary of Rajasthan and Union govt Lalit K Panwar told TOI, “There is a stronger case for distributing tourism across all parts of the state and promoting lesser-known destinations. In that context, the Kota event was a well-conceived strategy and it was a grand success.”The event brought together more than 1,000 tour operators and travel agents from across the country and was in line with tourism minister Diya Kumari’s emphasis on expanding tourism beyond the state’s established destinations.While senior department officials favoured a travel mart in Udaipur and did not approve the Kota proposal, the tourism minister separately sanctioned Rs 20 lakh for the Kota event. For the inaugural edition, the tourism department had provided financial support of Rs 1.18 crore.“It is not possible to organise a travel mart with Rs 20 lakh, however modest the scale,” said Ashok Maheshwari of the Kota Federation of Rajasthan Hotels.Panwar, who advises several tourism trade and industry bodies, said, “What we are witnessing in Jaipur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer is a form of overtourism. We need to develop and promote more destinations to disperse tourist traffic while extending the livelihood opportunities created by the sector.”Others also pointed to poor upkeep of monuments, inadequate waste management, cleanliness concerns and traffic congestion, underlining that rising tourist numbers were straining civic resources in the state’s major tourist centres.“Promoting these destinations further without improving basic infrastructure and visitor facilities could undermine the tourist experience rather than generate additional tourism benefits,” they said.
