Madhya Pradesh to be developed as the hub of water tourism in India

If the heritage and culture of Madhya Pradesh were not good enough to make you fall in love with the state as a travel destination, then gear up to embrace it as one of the top destinations for water tourism in India.
According to the latest reports, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the state will be developed as a hub of water tourism in India. The announcement was made by Chouhan after he inaugurated the third instalment of the two-and-a-half-month-long Jal Mahotsav at the Hanuwantiya Island in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. In fact, he also flagged off a boat race to make it a part of the festival henceforth.

“When I became the chief minister, the initial focus was on water, electricity and roads. Increasing agriculture productivity was another major area of focus. But later on a visit to Sentosa in Singapore, the idea of developing similar tourist places in Madhya Pradesh occurred. After which Indira Sagar dam was identified for the purpose. It took us eight years to develop Hanuwantiya Island,” he said.
Chouhan further said that Madhya Pradesh will become one of the top touristy regions in the country in the next five years. Besides, he also announced the government’s plan of developing more islands in the backwaters of the Narmada River and to make them ready for tourism. He said that these islands would be collectively known as Madhya Dweep.


This would actually come across as an opportunity for the tourism industry as according to Chouhan, private players will be given a chance to develop tourism infrastructure in Madhya Dweep and other parts of the state, and also run various tourism related activities, hotels and services. “In Kerala, houseboats are running in dirty water still tourists stay there for days. But in Madhya Pradesh, water of the Narmada river is clean and pure and with houseboats on them, tourists will flock to this tourist destination,” the chief minister said.

Some of the places that have been shortlisted by the state government for the development of water tourism in Madhya Pradesh include areas around Gandhi Sagar Dam, Bargi Dam and lakes in state capital Bhopal.


Apart from the announcement regarding water tourism, the chief minister also revealed the Madhya Pradesh Government’s plan of developing heritage tourism and religious tourism in the state. He said that the region from Hanuwantiya to Ujjain via Omkareshwar can be developed and categorised under religious tourism circuit.

Looks like Madhya Pradesh is reinventing itself as one of the finest tourist destinations in the country and nothing would please travellers more than that.