#RTNext with Sheo Shekhar Shukla
#RTNext is a series of short, focused conversations on the immediate future of travel in India.
Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board launched their Responsible Tourism Mission in 2020. But how does this forested state plan to take this initiative forward after the pandemic? Join us as we ask Mr Sheo Shekhar Shukla, IAS, Principal Secretary Tourism and MD, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, to walk us through their roadmap for the next few years.
#rtnext #sheoshekharshukla #outlookindia
Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board launched their Responsible Tourism Mission in 2020. But how does this forested state plan to take this initiative forward after the pandemic? Join us as we ask Mr Sheo Shekhar Shukla, IAS, Principal Secretary Tourism and MD, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, to walk us through their roadmap for the next few years.
#rtnext #sheoshekharshukla #outlookindia
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Welcome and thank you so much for joining us today
00:13 for the next episode of RT Next.
00:16 As the pandemic continues to reshape our future,
00:19 as travelers and as hosts, we wonder what's next.
00:23 We have a long way to go before the masks come off,
00:26 but when they do, are we going to be ready for it?
00:29 At the Outlook Responsible Tourism Initiative,
00:32 an affiliate member of the UNWTO,
00:34 we believe that there's light at the end of the tunnel.
00:37 The question is, how do we get through this tunnel together
00:41 as a community and build something that is better
00:44 and more resilient?
00:45 And that is exactly why we are reaching out
00:48 to the experts and the doers, the policy makers
00:51 and the policy implementers for RT Next series
00:54 to help us draw out a blueprint for the future.
00:58 Today, our guest is a stalwart from the land of myths
01:01 and legends of lush forests, the Barra Singha and the tiger.
01:05 Please welcome from the heart of incredible India,
01:08 Mr. Shiv Shekhar Shukla, Principal Secretary Tourism
01:12 and Managing Director Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board.
01:15 Welcome Mr. Shukla, we are so honored
01:17 to have you with us today.
01:18 - Thank you very much.
01:20 Very good morning to everyone.
01:21 - Thank you so much.
01:23 We just thought we'll interact with you today
01:26 and ask you a few questions about what's happening
01:29 in the state.
01:30 So my first question to you is that Madhya Pradesh
01:33 launched its Responsible Tourism Mission in 2020.
01:36 In fact, at the Outlook Responsible Tourism Awards
01:39 that year, and it is one of the few states in India
01:42 who keeps sustainability and responsibility
01:45 at the heart of its policies.
01:47 What is the roadmap of this initiative given the pandemic
01:50 and how are you planning to scale or replicate
01:53 community friendly and environment friendly projects
01:56 that have already been successful in your state?
01:59 - Well, as you rightly said that Madhya Pradesh
02:03 is one of those states which long back saw
02:08 a lot of potential in responsible tourism
02:11 and not only potential, but also as a matter
02:16 of government's initiative and responsibility
02:19 that this was taken up as a mission.
02:23 Now that post COVID we all know how the travel
02:27 and tourism industry is going to shape up.
02:29 Six pandemics and epidemics which rocked the world
02:35 in last 20 years have taught us very well
02:38 that how we are going to travel in future,
02:42 how what kind of shape a tourism industry
02:44 is likely to take.
02:46 Anybody who is slightly concerned in fact now
02:48 that every country and every family,
02:50 every citizen has been impacted by this COVID news.
02:55 So there is no more need to bring home this point.
03:00 Everyone understands the responsibility
03:02 attached to travel and tourism.
03:05 So on one hand we have to invent new ways
03:08 of travel and tourism as an industry,
03:11 as a government and as a traveler,
03:14 all of us together as various stakeholders
03:16 will have to shape up the new ways ahead.
03:20 On the other hand, we have also to be very sure
03:23 of the fact that this tourism sector itself
03:26 contributes something like 10 to 15%
03:29 of national GDP of all the countries.
03:32 So it's a fact which can't be done away with.
03:36 Tour and travel and tourism,
03:38 this is going to happen anyway.
03:40 The only thing is that how we are going to reshape,
03:42 remold the whole state of affairs.
03:46 So for Madhya Pradesh, I would say that the roadmap
03:49 for next five years already well cut out.
03:52 And having understood well the needs
03:56 and also our own initiatives,
03:59 we are going to have responsible tourism
04:02 as the main plank of tourism verticals in the government.
04:07 And we are working very closely with various stakeholders
04:10 to implement in a bigger fashion over there.
04:14 Second thing is that MPs, I would say still,
04:19 a treasure trove which is largely unexplored.
04:23 And we need to really design 360 degree campaigns
04:28 to unfold what MP has in store for travelers.
04:33 And the kind of destinations
04:37 but one would be looking after post pandemic,
04:39 MP has an abundance of such kind of locations.
04:44 With the bruised souls and a lot of hit wards,
04:49 hit with the industry has already taken.
04:52 We are well poised to bring before the world
04:56 our destinations which have a lot to offer
05:00 when it comes to soothing travel,
05:04 when it comes to wellness, holistic wellness of human being.
05:09 So we are making a baseline
05:13 of all these necessary initiatives
05:16 which the government will have to take.
05:18 Secondly, post COVID we are also working very hard
05:22 to ensure that once the message is out,
05:25 people know that MP has got a lot to offer
05:28 what kind of destination they are looking for.
05:31 So we need to have a very good connectivity,
05:34 very good tourism infrastructure,
05:36 a very good skill manpower looking after these destinations.
05:40 And then of course, the kind of experience
05:43 which a traveler would like to have
05:45 once the traveler reaches a destination,
05:47 it should be again, a very holistic
05:50 and comprehensive kind of experience
05:53 which could cater to the need of each
05:55 and every member of the family.
05:57 So destination based tourism packages we are designing
06:02 which would be customized
06:04 for different kinds of interest groups.
06:07 So we are working on all these lines,
06:09 but the fact remains that we are going to package everything
06:14 in such a manner that responsible tourism philosophy
06:19 is always there at the core of it.
06:21 - That is so wonderful to know Mr. Shukla.
06:26 Continuing with your narrative on the next five years,
06:30 what are the new products and destinations
06:33 you would want to promote?
06:34 MP has been in the news recently.
06:36 You know, Orchard and Gwalior have made it
06:38 to the UNESCO World Heritage site list.
06:41 Recently, Satpura Tiger Reserve,
06:43 Dedha Ghat in Jabalpur have made it.
06:45 So how would you like to promote these destinations
06:48 keeping the principles of sustainability in mind?
06:51 - Well, we actually in Madhya Pradesh
06:57 don't need to work very hard on that
06:59 because most of our destinations, tourism destination,
07:02 if you know anything about Madhya Pradesh,
07:04 you would appreciate that.
07:06 They already have all the ingredients of,
07:10 the kind of new model which we are talking about.
07:14 Our tourism destinations are not very crowded
07:18 and very sparsely located.
07:22 And even one of the only hill station of Madhya Pradesh,
07:26 Pachamari is such a refusal kind of a township.
07:30 And it gives you such a rustic kind of background
07:34 that you really don't need to work towards
07:36 making it feel like a rustic place.
07:38 It's already there.
07:40 And similarly about the nature,
07:42 which is evidently displayed here in Madhya Pradesh
07:46 and it's all its glory.
07:48 We are one of the most, not one of the most,
07:51 the most forested state of the country.
07:54 We are home to the maximum number of tigers,
07:58 maximum number of leopards,
07:59 and now maximum number of alligators too.
08:02 So we very comprehensively worked in previous years
08:08 to develop our natural assets from tourism point of view.
08:13 And these have gained a lot of traction in previous years
08:18 and years to come,
08:19 these will become benchmark for other states also to follow.
08:22 So these products are already there.
08:24 We need to just design suitable campaigns for them.
08:28 Then of course, we are also working towards creating
08:31 very interesting heritage circuits.
08:35 Heritage is one thing which is also,
08:38 we are very blessed to have archeological heritage
08:45 so abundantly available in the state.
08:48 In almost every district,
08:49 we have these kinds of things available.
08:52 More than 300 sites are being looked after
08:56 by ASI in the state,
08:57 and more than 550 sites are being looked after
09:01 by state archeology.
09:02 So we are trying to design tourism circuits
09:06 around the heritage trail.
09:08 That's another thing which we are going to do.
09:10 Then another interesting feature
09:13 which was hitherto neglected is the rock art.
09:16 We are also blessed to have prehistoric rock art
09:21 places in the state, many of them.
09:23 One of them you know very well is Bhimpadga
09:26 which is World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Site,
09:28 but we have got so many more.
09:30 So we are trying to design some kind of a concept
09:34 called prehistoric park around these rock shelters,
09:38 and then promote rock art tourism to those enthusiasts
09:42 who are very much keen to have this kind of,
09:44 to visit this kind of places.
09:47 Then of course, we are also trying to identify
09:50 special interest groups who would like to travel
09:54 on a theme-based model like religion.
10:00 So Madhya Pradesh is also home to Jyotirlingas
10:03 and Jyotipeet.
10:04 So we are going to create circuits around them
10:08 so that people have a very smooth way of entering
10:12 to the state, going from place to place
10:14 and completing the religious circuit in a fine manner.
10:17 Similarly, we are also working on creating craft tales.
10:22 MP is also known for, you know,
10:24 Bagh, Prane, Maheshwari and Chanderi, et cetera, all known.
10:28 So we want to create specific trails
10:31 around these textiles and other handicrafts.
10:36 Similarly, MP is also home to 35 very good quality museums,
10:41 two of them being located in Bhopal itself.
10:44 So we are also trying to network all these museums together
10:48 and also network with the neighboring states
10:51 to create museum trail.
10:52 That is also going to be a very new kind of model.
10:56 And similarly, cuisine is another very important factor.
11:00 For travelers, food is one of those, you know,
11:03 things which interest them a lot.
11:04 So we want to create specific MP localized area-based
11:09 food trails also,
11:11 because then it would be integrated with all these things.
11:14 Another feature which is very important
11:17 and needs to be worked more is adventure tourism.
11:21 We already have a soft adventure tourism spots in the state
11:26 and we have come out well with a number
11:29 of very good camping sites for the youngsters.
11:31 You know, all those corporate fellows
11:35 who are burned out in big cities like Bangalore, et cetera,
11:39 they come here to chill out in those campsites,
11:42 which are very near the natural sites.
11:44 We create specific, you know,
11:46 walking trails for them in the jungles,
11:48 sighting of the wild animals, birds, et cetera.
11:51 So more than 40 such kinds of sites are already here,
11:55 which are operational.
11:56 And we provide world-class facilities over there.
11:59 We are working very closely
12:01 with the Eco Tourism Development Board
12:04 to create more such sites in the state.
12:07 There's a huge potential for that.
12:09 Similarly, you would be glad to know that
12:12 MP is the only state which has started, you know,
12:15 hot air ballooning over a national park.
12:18 We have started around six months ago in Bandhoga
12:21 and it gained a lot of traction.
12:24 People were really very happy to fly over a national park
12:27 to have sighting done from a height of say 30, 40 feet
12:31 on a hot air balloon.
12:33 That's a very novel concept.
12:35 So that similar kind of products
12:37 we'd like to introduce in our destinations.
12:40 One more area which we are very good at is film tourism.
12:44 MP is gaining ground in the film industry
12:47 and people here who come and shoot here,
12:51 their projects, whether they're films or serials
12:55 or, you know, whatever stuff on the OTT, et cetera,
12:59 they find MP to be a very hospitable estate.
13:03 So we would like to build on our strengths
13:05 and showcase our, you know, specific areas
13:10 which are good to be filmed and invite the film industry.
13:14 We have got a comprehensive policy made for that.
13:18 We also are incentivizing the industry
13:20 to come and shoot here in Madhya Pradesh
13:22 and we provide them end-to-end solutions
13:24 so that they do glitch-free and smooth work over here.
13:29 And of course, nature is an integral part of Madhya Pradesh
13:32 that goes without saying.
13:33 So post-COVID, anybody who would like to reconnect
13:38 with oneself, you know, just heads towards Madhya Pradesh,
13:42 especially from the neighboring states.
13:43 So to reconnect and to rewild,
13:46 we are here to come out with new packages and new products
13:49 like Buffer May Suffer, which was started last year,
13:51 which will be further given impetus in this year,
13:55 in times to come.
13:57 So all these kinds of products taken together,
14:00 we are going to come out and invite
14:03 the national and international fraternity
14:05 to come and visit Madhya Pradesh.
14:07 - One of the follow-up we've seen with the pandemic
14:09 which started last year is people now,
14:12 when they want to travel,
14:12 they prefer to take road trips.
14:14 MP was probably the first state in the country
14:16 to launch caravan tourism.
14:18 How is that going ahead, sir?
14:20 - Well, I don't know whether you are,
14:24 you have been able to see Travel XP episodes,
14:27 which have been running for the last 10, 15 days
14:31 on Travel XP channel.
14:32 They have covered Central India, two young ladies,
14:36 they're traveling, driving the caravan themselves.
14:39 - Oh, wonderful.
14:40 - They've covered around 10 destinations
14:42 in the Central Madhya Pradesh.
14:44 And that has been received very well.
14:48 So caravan experiment, we are going to further proliferate,
14:52 and we would like to engage private sector also.
14:56 We would like to model our caravan travel
14:59 in such a manner that people have caravan stations.
15:03 We designed our caravans in such a manner
15:05 that during the night,
15:06 people have comfortable stay in our properties,
15:10 so that they refresh themselves the next morning
15:12 and then proceed for the day-long travel in a caravan.
15:16 During the daytime, of course,
15:17 all the necessities can be taken care of in a caravan,
15:20 but when it comes to staying,
15:22 you need to have a slightly better, comfortable place.
15:25 So my State Tourism Development Corporation
15:27 is working towards those models,
15:29 creating specific itineraries,
15:31 and also creating caravan stations,
15:33 which will take care of people's comfort
15:36 and their stay, food, et cetera, in these stations.
15:39 And definitely we'll be inviting private sector
15:43 to participate in this.
15:44 - Wonderful.
15:45 So tell us a little bit
15:46 about the private-public partnership model
15:48 that you're trying to push,
15:49 because what we've seen with the pandemic
15:51 is that so many people have lost their means of subsistence.
15:56 So are there any other policies
15:59 that the government of Madhya Pradesh is looking at
16:01 to help out this community in distress?
16:04 - See, as I said,
16:07 that the mainstay of our future tourism paradigm
16:12 is going to be maximum football
16:16 with minimum caravan footprints.
16:18 That is going to be our motto, mantra.
16:21 And for that, we are working very closely
16:26 with the community to have inclusive
16:29 and sustainable regenerative tourism model
16:32 in the form of rural homestays in rural areas,
16:37 agriculture tourism,
16:39 ground stay, farm stay,
16:42 to showcase the sustainable way of living in the villages.
16:47 You know, our villages are also a part of our heritage.
16:51 They are there for thousands of years unaffected.
16:54 And so we need to understand,
16:56 today's traveler need to understand their way of living,
16:59 their closeness with the nature,
17:02 and the, you know,
17:07 sort of very down to earth
17:10 and very simple way of living, yet very fulfilling.
17:14 So we are working on those models
17:15 so that the community also gets involved,
17:18 community gets benefited,
17:20 it becomes inclusive,
17:21 and also becomes responsible.
17:24 The second thing is that we are modeling our policies
17:27 towards enhancing private investment in the state,
17:30 in the tourism and hospitality sector.
17:32 We already have got a very good policy
17:34 where we incentivize private sector
17:37 to come and invest here in the hospitality sector.
17:40 Very attractive propositions are there.
17:43 But apart from that,
17:44 we would like to have more and more PPP
17:47 in the tourism sector.
17:49 So we have identified a number of new locations,
17:53 a number of new projects,
17:55 whether it is related to enhancing the tourism infrastructure
18:00 or it is related to bringing in new products.
18:02 Like I said, hot air ballooning,
18:04 this is a private initiative,
18:06 but we have just facilitated them.
18:08 So we would like to structure these kinds of initiatives
18:11 in the form of policies
18:13 where any investor or enthusiast comes in
18:17 and puts in money,
18:18 and he feels safe being an investor in Madhya Pradesh.
18:22 So that kind of an ecosystem
18:25 we are trying to develop in Madhya Pradesh
18:27 so that it unleashes the private energies
18:31 and our tourism destinations become more vibrant,
18:34 more lively,
18:35 and more attractive for people who come here.
18:39 And it brings in a lot of value addition
18:43 to the tourism destinations.
18:45 So that is another initiative
18:47 which we're taking as a policy matter.
18:50 Then another very important project
18:51 that I'd like to mention to you,
18:53 like still in Madhya Pradesh,
18:57 though it's supposed to be very cool
18:59 and very law-abiding kind of state.
19:02 Tourism destinations are by and large very, very safe.
19:05 But in India, when it comes to inbound travelers,
19:08 they have their own apprehensions.
19:10 So we have taken up a very good project
19:12 with the help of Tourism Ministry
19:13 and Women and Child Welfare Ministry of Government of India.
19:16 It is aimed at making our destinations safe
19:20 for women travelers.
19:22 So, and we are getting very good project funding
19:26 from Government of India.
19:27 We have picked up 30 destinations in the state
19:30 where we would like to flood all these destinations
19:35 to have more and more frontline workers as women.
19:38 Whether you go to a hotel or resort,
19:40 or take a cab,
19:42 or you interact with a guide,
19:45 we are trying to skill more and more women, local women,
19:50 who would get job opportunities,
19:52 livelihood opportunities out of this,
19:54 as well as it will also lead to safe destination
19:59 for women travelers.
20:00 Even if they are solo women travelers,
20:01 they feel much more safer when they find
20:04 that most of the workforce in the frontline
20:06 in all these destinations is women power.
20:11 So that is a unique proposition which we have added.
20:14 And of course, as I told you,
20:16 responsible tourism is going to be the mainstay.
20:18 - That is wonderful to hear because you know,
20:22 women, the women and the elderly,
20:24 they're always looked upon as probably not very productive,
20:28 but how skillfully they can be engaged
20:30 in the tourism industry.
20:32 And I'm so glad that the state is going ahead
20:34 with this policy.
20:36 That is really wonderful to know.
20:38 A quick question on, you know, again, the pandemic,
20:40 and because MP has such a treasure trove of forests
20:43 and wildlife sanctuaries,
20:46 tourism has always been a force for good in these areas.
20:51 It has helped the communities to reduce their subsistence
20:54 on the forest and move them to earn other types of income
20:57 with tourism.
20:59 But with the pandemic and travel stopping,
21:01 how has that been affected?
21:03 You know, man-animal conflict in terms of communities
21:07 becoming more dependent on the forest for their subsistence.
21:11 Have you noticed that?
21:12 And if so, how is the government trying
21:13 to mitigate those things?
21:17 - Well, Madhya Pradesh, I would say that communities
21:20 are still not totally dependent on tourism.
21:22 They have got other via medias as well.
21:25 And MP is, you know, an agrarian state predominantly,
21:30 and agriculture is the main occupation of people here.
21:36 And government has been very, very sensitive
21:38 and very proactive when it comes to taking care
21:42 of the people during pandemic times.
21:44 Even last year, when there was two months,
21:45 two and a half months long lockdown,
21:47 national level lockdown, that time, and this time again,
21:51 when there were local lockdowns, not lockdowns,
21:53 I would say there were corona curfews
21:54 imposed by local district administration.
21:58 Government took very good care of its people.
22:01 And you know, you'd be surprised.
22:04 We became, during last lockdown period,
22:08 we became the highest weed-procuring state in the country.
22:12 We surpassed Punjab by margins.
22:15 And during lockdown, we ensured that 129 lakh metric tons,
22:20 which is equivalent to, say, 10,000 rakes
22:23 of wheat procured by the farmers during the lockdown period
22:28 at their doorstep by the government,
22:31 and transferring 25,000 crores directly to their account.
22:35 This is just to give one example.
22:38 Similarly, government has been very sensitive
22:40 towards taking care of street vendors,
22:43 you know, different, you know, laborers,
22:45 who are not meaningfully engaged during this COVID period.
22:51 And government has been very sensitive
22:53 towards taking care of their medical needs,
22:55 the families which were affected by pandemic.
22:58 So taken together, we must have transferred something
23:01 like more than 60 to 70,000 crores directly
23:04 to the accounts of the people in the mother village.
23:07 So, and most of them have also,
23:09 might have also tourism or hospitality-related deoptions.
23:14 But since we have been very, very careful
23:18 in handling the community during pandemic times,
23:20 so there was no such uproar
23:23 or any kind of crisis developed in the state.
23:27 And of course, tourism and hospitality
23:29 has been badly affected.
23:30 And we are looking ways that how soon we can really
23:35 re-select the entire industry with more confidence.
23:40 And also, for the travelers who would like
23:44 to come to Madhya Pradesh, they should have confidence
23:46 that they're traveling to a very safe state.
23:49 As such, the COVID incidence has come down drastically
23:52 in the state, and it's almost, almost like disappeared.
23:55 Less than 200 cases now per day being reported,
23:59 coming down every day.
24:00 And we are also trying to liaise with our industry
24:05 so that they also take claim of vaccinating
24:10 all their front-line staff, et cetera.
24:14 And we are prioritizing them, because they are the ones
24:16 who are going to be in touch with the travelers.
24:19 So anybody who is working in travel and hospitality sector,
24:23 we are taking care of them by vaccinating,
24:26 by having good facilities at every level
24:29 so that people who come there can get themselves tested,
24:32 get themselves treated.
24:34 So that kind of confidence we are trying to build
24:38 into the whole system so that travel and tour
24:41 again takes normal shape.
24:45 - Well, as you know, the "Arti Next" series,
24:47 we try to look at the bright side of things,
24:49 because as an industry, travel and tourism globally,
24:53 I think it's been so resilient.
24:55 We've gone through so many ups and downs.
24:57 There was a 2008 economic crisis, there was a SARS crisis,
25:02 but we've always bounced back.
25:03 So in the hope of bouncing back and traveling,
25:07 travel opening up again, where would you like to travel,
25:11 Mr. Shukla, when travel opens up again?
25:13 What's on your wishlist?
25:15 - Let me be frank with you.
25:17 I'm serving in Madhya Pradesh for last more than 26 years,
25:22 and I have not even seen explore 10% of Madhya Pradesh.
25:25 So there is so much to explore in my own neighborhood.
25:29 What a talk of going outside.
25:31 In fact, this is also going to be one of our major plans
25:34 in near future.
25:36 We are going to promote ask-pass tourism,
25:38 neighborhood tourism within the state
25:40 and also the neighboring states.
25:42 I would like to create a customized itineraries for them,
25:45 connecting them to the border areas,
25:48 which have important and interesting tourism destinations.
25:52 We are creating UP with Madhya Pradesh,
25:54 we're creating Maharashtra, we are creating Gujarat,
25:57 we are creating Delhi and Siar.
25:58 So since we are a landlocked state,
26:01 from all sides we are surrounded by neighboring states,
26:04 even Chhattisgarh.
26:05 So we are creating customized itineraries
26:07 where one can travel in one's own vehicle
26:11 in a safe manner with his family,
26:13 and one can come to a nearby place
26:15 and enjoy themselves and refresh themselves.
26:18 So my priority would be first of all,
26:21 to explore my own state, which will take years.
26:25 There's so much over here,
26:26 and I mean, it's really so refreshing,
26:30 especially in this season, now the trains have arrived.
26:33 You go to any road and you really, when you come out,
26:37 your batteries are really charged fully.
26:40 Absolutely lush green, water streams here and there,
26:45 and small, small waterfalls in there.
26:48 It's really beautiful.
26:49 So my own state is so beautiful,
26:51 my own country is so beautiful.
26:54 So I'm wise to explore more and more locally.
26:57 Even for inbound traveling also,
26:59 which is an important component of our industry.
27:02 We have taken time in the previous months
27:08 to create some very new innovative ways
27:12 of projecting Madhya Pradesh on the international map.
27:15 I would like to name a couple of them.
27:16 You know that Madhya Pradesh is home
27:19 to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites,
27:23 that is Khajuraho, Saatchi, and Bhimpadka.
27:28 We have got two more sites added
27:30 in the tentative list of UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites.
27:34 One is Satpura National Park,
27:36 and another is Bhedagat in Jabalpur.
27:41 Apart from that, we are also working very closely
27:44 with various stakeholders to declare Gwalior
27:49 as one of the cities for music
27:52 under the UNESCO's Creative City Network model,
27:56 and Bhopal as a city for literature
27:59 under the same kind of scheme.
28:02 And we also worked in previous months
28:05 to include Gwalior and Ochha
28:08 under the Historical Urban Landscape scheme of UNESCO.
28:13 That has already been done.
28:15 Now UNESCO teams will come
28:16 and they will prepare detailed master plan of these areas,
28:20 keeping the heritage and the tourism at the core,
28:24 and then building the entire master plan around it
28:27 so that a very sustainable
28:29 and very internationally acceptable model of development
28:35 could be developed for Gwalior and Ochha.
28:37 So we are creating a number of such kind of,
28:40 taking such kind of initiatives,
28:42 which will put Madhya Pradesh prominently
28:44 on the UNESCO's list,
28:46 and that will attract a number of international travelers
28:50 who are very keen to explore UNESCO sites.
28:53 - But thank you so much, Mr. Shukla, for your insights.
28:56 And we really hope that the fantastic new policies
28:58 and the initiatives will bear fruit.
29:01 Until the time we can travel again,
29:03 and hopefully soon, we wish that you and all our viewers
29:07 stay safe and stay healthy.
29:08 Thank you so much for being with us today.
29:11 Thank you. - Thank you very much.
29:12 - Thank you. - Thank you.
29:13 (upbeat music)
29:16 (upbeat music)