Bihar Tourism Department Engages Stakeholders to Boost Investment under New Policy

Patna: The Bihar Tourism Department held a meeting on Friday to encourage investment around key tourist destinations under the state’s new tourism policy. Chaired by Tourism Secretary Lokesh Kumar Singh, the meeting took place at the Tourism Directorate Auditorium and saw participation from representatives of major hotels, including Taj, Hyatt, Marasa Sarovar, Maurya, and Lemon Tree, as well as officials from the Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Bihar Industries Association.

In his address, the Tourism Secretary highlighted Bihar’s rich cultural and religious heritage, drawing attention to the state’s numerous pilgrimage sites and scenic tourist destinations. He noted that Bihar attracted around 8.21 crore domestic and international tourists in 2023, underscoring the need to improve public facilities and enhance the overall tourist experience. Singh emphasized that the state is working to create a conducive environment for tourism and encouraged stakeholders to take advantage of provisions in the Tourism Policy 2023, which offers a direct subsidy of up to 30% for various tourism-related schemes. “You, the entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, should seize this opportunity and invest heavily in the state,” he said.

Stakeholders at the meeting, including representatives from the Bihar Industries Association and hotel chains, provided feedback on the new policy, suggesting several amendments. They called for the subsidy scheme, currently applicable to the construction and upgrade of four-star hotels, to be extended to two-star hotels, particularly at the sub-division and district levels. In major tourist hubs like Patna, Gaya, and Nalanda, they advocated for maintaining the focus on building four-star hotels.

Other key recommendations included extending the reimbursement period for SGST to 10 years to support new businesses, reducing the project cost threshold for expansion projects from 50% to 25%, and simplifying the documentation process for project clearances. The stakeholders also requested departmental guidelines for offering EPF and ESI benefits to employees, which they argued would further incentivise investment in the tourism sector.

The Tourism Secretary responded positively to the suggestions, assuring the participants that these proposals would be considered for implementation after further discussion with the relevant authorities. The meeting was attended by Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation’s Managing Director, Nandkishore, Tourism Director Vinay Kumar Rai, and other departmental officials.