Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah has directed officials in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada to adopt a five-pronged approach to develop tourism circuits across the three coastal districts. The instruction was given during a coastal tourism conclave in Mangaluru on Saturday which the CM attended. The initiative is expected to form the backbone of a proposed new coastal tourism policy. Karnataka has a 320km coastline comprising beaches and backwaters and the govt has identified 94 beaches and 21 river islands with tourism potential. To maximise opportunities across these regions, district administrations have divided the areas into five distinct tourism circuits — marine and island tourism, beach and coastline tourism, backwaters and river island tourism, mountain slopes and temple tourism, and Ghats and hill station tourism. During the conclave, Siddaramaiah is said to have instructed the administrations to prepare comprehensive development plans for these five zones. The plans are expected to explore water sport, aquatic and adventure sport, cruise services, island and fishing tourism, sand sport, boathouses in backwaters, and trekking activities in hill stations. Siddaramaiah also directed officials to develop a separate cultural tourism component for the coastal districts, with traditional events such as kambala and ‘pilli nalike’ (tiger dance) to be included under the scheme. Kambala, the traditional buffalo race, is organised annually in over 45 villages across the coastal belt and has also gained popularity when hosted in Bengaluru. District administrations have also been asked to prepare detailed action plans for naturopathy and health tourism, educational research centres, music concerts and food fairs, highlighting cultural and lifestyle elements unique to the three coastal districts. Earlier on Saturday, Siddaramaiah had urged district administrations to study the Kerala model of coastal tourism development and project the three districts as a cleaner and calmer “alternative” to Goa.
