Karnataka Tourism aimed to promote its inbound tourism, particularly its heritage, culture, wildlife, beaches, and adventure activities at ITB Berlin, the world’s biggest trade show which was held on March 7 to 9, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.
The Karnataka Tourism Pavilion was inaugurated by Shri. Arvind Singh, Secretary of Tourism, Govt. of India and His Excellency, Shri Harish Parvathaneni, the Indian Ambassador to Germany in the presence of Shri. Ramprasath Manohar Varatharajan, Director, Karnataka Tourism and Shri. Janardhan HP, Joint Director, Karnataka Tourism.
The main objective was to promote the state as an all-round tourism destination offering a range of services. Tourism Service providers from Karnataka were also part of the Karnataka Tourism pavilion viz. Skyway International Travels, Dhole’s Den, Travel India Company, Gamyam Ayurveda and Yoga Retreat, Shathayu Ayurveda Yoga Retreat, Hotel Maurya- Bengaluru and Swathi Group of Hotels.
Karnataka offers an exciting portfolio of tourism attractions that have earned worldwide recognition like UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Hampi, Pattadakal and the Western Ghats. In addition, it is home to 35 wildlife sanctuaries and 5 national parks, 17 hill stations, 320 kms of beaches, 600 species of birds, 40 waterfalls, 6000+ elephants and 524+ tigers.
It is a land lived, ruled and enriched by renowned dynasties like the Kadamba, Chalukya, Rashtrakuta, Hoysala, Vijayanagara and Wodeyar dynasties. It is also home to 747 unique protected monuments, temples and palaces viz. Bidar, Badami, Gol Gumbaz, Aihole, Belur, Halebid, Mysore Palace and Shravanbelagola.
Its 320 km coastline is dotted with famous beaches and activities like surfing, parasailing, snorkelling and other water sports. Kabini, Bandipur, Dandeli and Nagarhole are the best places for Jungle Stays and to spot elephants and tigers. Karnataka also has beautiful hill stations like Coorg, Chikmagalure, Sakaleshpura and Kodachadri where one can explore homestays, coffee, cuisine and unique traditions.
Bengaluru and Mysuru are hubs for Naturopathy and Yoga. The cuisine of Karnataka is flavourful and delicious with a range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies like masala dosas, idlis, ragi mudde etc.
Bengaluru is home to 13000 startups and around 40 unicorns. Out of 13000, 364 are in education, 128 transport and 126 in retail and e-commerce. Bangalore is named as startup heaven and Silicon Valley of Asia. This is because of the confluence of talent groups, entrepreneurship, investors, academia, industry and tech dominance.
Karnataka is known as a land of silks, spices, and sandalwood. The state is famous for its magical hill stations, spectacular waterfalls, pilgrimage centres, and a coastline dotted with unspoilt beaches. With a vast range of tourism landscapes such as archaeology, religion, ecotourism, wildlife, etc. the state offers innumerable experiences to discerning travellers.
There is no denying that Karnataka is a top tourist destination all year round, a land of incredible diversity. No matter whether you want to walk by the beach, explore age-old monuments and palaces, experience wildlife, or scuba dive, the state tourism industry has a lot of potential that needs to be tapped. With this aim, Karnataka Tourism showcased its gamut of offerings at ITB Berlin 2023.
