Govt to expand student-tourist interaction

Officials of the state tourism department along with members of the working group,a body constituted by the state government for the implementation of these courses, are expected to meet officials of the education department to share inputs.

"Initially, the courses will be implemented in the primary schools only. However, later these courses will be introduced in higher classes," an official of the state tourism department said.

He informed that the department has also sent a similar proposal to the Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh for the implementation of similar courses in the CBSE-affiliated schools in the state.

"The courses are being prepared to stem the increasing number of incidents of violence against tourists whether mental or physical. The aim would be to rekindle the feeling of "Athithi Devo Bhava"(guest is equal to God) in the students," he added.

Students will also be taught about the benefits of the tourism sector, preservation of old monuments and the concepts of rural and heritage tourism. "Implementing such courses will help the state government to prevent harassment of tourists," he said.

"The process may take long but this is the only way to weed out such problems permanently," the official added. Rajasthan is a popular tourism destination and estimates suggest that over 1 million foreign and 2 million domestic tourists visited the state last year.