'Make Nagpur hub for tiger tourism'

City MP Vilas Muttemwar has strongly pleaded with Union minister of housing and tourism Kumari Selja to consider developing Nagpur as a

major eco-tourism centre. The city and Vidarbha region had many historical and places of tourist interest that lie neglected. There were a number of tiger reserves around the city which could be promoted in a big way as gateway to the tiger land, he said in a letter.

“Tourism is the biggest industry the world over and the fastest growing segment is of wildlife and adventure tourism. They are major moneyspinners and India has assets to take a pole position in this industry,” Muttemwar pointed out. Tadoba Andhari, Pench, Nagzira, Melghat, Navegaon and Bor are wildlife sanctuaries situated 70 to 150 km from Nagpur while the famous Kanha, around 250 km away, and Bandhavgarh are easily accessible from here, the MP wrote.

“Six million foreign tourists visit India annually and if necessary infrastructure is set up and aggressive marketing done, Nagpur-Vidarbha could attract a big chunk of this traffic. This will provide large scale employment as tourism has great potential as an economic activity,” Muttemwar explained.

“Looking to the enormous opportunity, I request you to have a blueprint prepared for an integrated development of tiger-based tourism in the region,” the MP has said. He has also urged forest and environment minister Jairam Ramesh to discuss ecotourism based on tiger reserves at the Tiger Conclave that the minister is planning to hold at Ranthambore in October-November.