Realising perhaps that first impressions are everything, the Rajasthan government is considering a plan to let private agencies run its tourism reception centres (TRCs) in various parts of the country.

There are about 15 TRCs in the state and outside, in hubs like New Delhi, for instance, entrusted with the task of disseminating information about the desert state. And the government has probably realised that the private sector might be more enthused about the task of selling the state to outsiders.
 

However, the proposal is still at a preliminary stage, an official in the tourism department said.

"In the first six months from January to July this year, 5.4 million domestic tourists and 380,000 foreign tourists visited the state. This is a record," he said.

"We need professional people to run the TRCs to cater properly to these tourists, which is why we are thinking of inviting private agencies to run them," the official added.

The private sector seems happy with the proposed plan, pointing out that some TRCs are not even equipped with computers.

According to the plan under consideration, some of the money spinning schemes for TRCs being considered include advertising space, installing ATM machines and perhaps even a cyber café.

Rajasthan is one of India's most attractive tourist destinations with its mix of sand dunes, palaces and forts.

--Indo-Asian News Service