CITY SIGHTS

from BLR Nov SH 2020

HEALTH

LALBAGH

Laid out by Mysuru ruler Haider Ali in 1740 spread over 240 acres. Its tropical plants were imported by Haider and his son Tipu Sultan from countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Persia, Mauritius, Turkey and Africa. Ogle at the Glass House modeled on London’s Crystal Palace. There is an annual flower show as well. Climb the rock mountain and take a look at Bangalore from the top.

JP PARK

Junction of Jalahalli and Mathikere The Jayaprakash Narayan Park boasts of 20,000 varieties of plant species, 60,000 flowering plants and shrubs and 5,000 medicinal herbs. It also include a 4.5-km jogging track, bamboo garden, women’s playground with dedicated shuttle and tennikoit court, football court, 1,000-seater amphitheatre and so on. The big lake there attracts migratory birds. Timings: 5am-8.30am & 5pm-8.30pm.

BANNERGHATTA NATIONAL PARK

Located 22 km from Bangalore, it is a sanctuary for wildlife, bears, reptiles, elephants and deer. Chief attractions include the lion and tiger safari, herbivore safari and the butterfly park. The Bannerghatta Nature Camp offers a package and a guided nature walk. It is closed on Tuesdays.

ISKCON TEMPLE

Hare Krishna Hills, West of Chord Road, Rajajinagar The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is one of the most sought after destinations in India. The white temple building has gorgeous deities of Lord Radha Krishna.

BAHAI BHAVAN

82, Coles Road The centre hosts regular ‘firesides’ or discussions among small groups on the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith along with prayer meetings and study groups.

BULL TEMPLE

Bull Temple Road, Basavanagudi This is a typical Dravidian-style temple built by Kempe Gowda I. It is has a monolith bull that is 4.5m tall and 6.5m long. It was apparently built to appease a vagrant bull which persisted in devouring all the groundnuts in the surrounding fields. Once this temple was built, the bull stayed away from the groundnuts. A Groundnut Fair (Kadalekayi Parishe) near the temple premises is held every year.

TAWAKKAL MASTAN DARGAH

Cottonpet, Near Majestic

Dedicated to the Sufi Saint Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan Shah, it is characterised by coloured floor tiles, tinted glass lamps, a green-and-white façade and ornate minarets.

GURUDWARA

Ulsoor Sri Guru Singh Sabha that faces the picturesque Ulsoor Lake is a white architectural delight that revels in pristine marble floors. Built in 1946, it is the main Sikh centre of worship in the city. Timings: 4am-9.30pm.

ST ANDREW’S CHURCH

Cubbon Road. This red-and-white Scottish-styled Gothic church was built in 1867. High windows, tall doors and circular ventilators are the highlights of this pretty edifice.

ST MARY’S BASILICA

Shivajinagar

Best known for the eight-day St Mary’s Feast every September, this church started in as a small chapel 1818. Rev LF Kleiner transformed the small chapel into a church in 1874. Boasts of stately arches vaulting towards the ceiling, rich Corinthian capitals of moulded bunches of grapes and artistic stained-glass windows from Paris.

JAMIA MASJID

NR Road

One of the biggest mosques in town, it can accommodate over 10,000 people at a time. Made of pure white marble from Rajasthan, it was built in 1940 and is in the middle of City Market.

BIG BANYAN TREE

Village of Ramohalli, near Kengeri, 60Km west of Bangalore The Doda Alada Mara literally translated to Big Banyan Tree, is a giant tree covering 3 acres (12,000sqm) and is one of the largest of its kind. It is said to be at least 400 years old. Buses can be taken from Majestic Bangalore to Kengeri, and Kengeri to Doda Alada Mara.

BRINDAVAN

Whitefield, Kadugodi This is the Bangalore home of spiritual master Sathya Sai Baba. Spread over 50 acres, it is surrounded by Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and the Sri Sathya Sai Hospital.

BANGALORE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTRE (BIEC)

Tumkur Road

A multi-purpose facility spread over 34 acres, is a common ground for industry exhibitions, conferences, product demonstrations and training programme.

MATA AMRITHANANDAMAYI MATH

136, Ullal Cross Road, 2nd Stage Jnana Bharathi Like her ashrams across the world, this one is run by Amma’s disciples and regularly holds spiritual discourses and classes. It manages the Bramasthanam Temple, an engineering college, Amrita Vidyalayam, Amrita Krupa, a charitable clinic that offers free medical check-ups.

CUBBON PARK

Near the Vidhan Soudha is this 334-acre park laid out in 1864 by Richard Sankey, the Chief Engineer of Mysore, and named in honour of the then Chief Commissioner of Mysore, Sir Mark Cubbon. It is dotted with statues, giant bamboos, flowerbeds, natural rock formations.

As we all know, tourism is the back bone of a country ’s economy. It is one of the main sources of foreign direct investment and transnational corporation. The tourism industry directly and indirectly contributes to about 10% of India’s GDP, making it an important aspect of the economy.

I In nd di ia a w wi it th h i it ts s r ri ic ch h h he er ri it ta ag ge e, , c cu ul lt tu ur ra al l v va al lu ue es s, , Yoga and Ayurveda offerings can be a trend setter in present times with a unique mix of experience offering to hoteliers and hospitality companies. Time demands distinct creativity, clear vision with a well-drawn strategy for 2020-2021 leaving no stone unturned to lure customers and turn them into regular visitors of India.

India has an estimated 53,000 travel agents, 1,15,000 tour operators, 15,000 adventure companies, 9,11,000 tourist transporters, 53,000 hospitality companies and five lakh restaurants. The industry employs an estimated 3.8 crore people. All it requires is a co-operative c co on nc ce en nt tr ra at te ed d e effort to turn things around to better times.

Before Covid-19, hotels and resorts A ca carriedl tl hetoattit hosude of pitalitpromoting y partners to address transfo themselves f choose theirrmed priorit irst to woo travellers to property to stay in. Butiesthis and pitch it right needs to change now; they have to put

their destinations first with local food flavours, briefs on the city, temples nearby as well as other attractions and places of interest for visitors, and only then talk about their hotel and their experiential offerings as that would now be the secondary pull. The first p pu ul ll l w wo ou ul ld d h ha av ve e t to o b be e t to o m ma ak ke e t th he e tourism destination itself attractive enough for prospective people to consider travelling up to there. After all, tourism is essentially a discretionary activity.

By attracting people’s attention to visit the city and explore products and service options available in that destination, there will be a better Senthil Sundram – CEO, Live Grand Hotels chance of making a good business pull and guest retention for tourism now and as well as going forward in the times to come. This should not be limited to domestic tourism but also can set the trend for global tourism players.

The road to recovery

A As s a a f fi ir rs st t s st te ep p t to ow wa ar rd ds s r re ec co ov ve er ry, the possibility of establishing travel bubbles or corridors within states, and then between countries, would have to be the way forward – which would allow states and countries in the region to put in place protocols for o op pe en ni in ng g u up p c ch ha an nn ne el ls s f fo or r a ai ir r t tr ra av ve el l o on n a a reciprocal basis.

Experiential hospitality

E Ex xp pe er ri ie en nc ce es s w wi il ll l p pr re ev va ai il l o ov ve er r t th he e physical. The lockdown, and the ensuing prolonged stay indoors, has helped most people introspect. Most have decided to slow down or pursue passions long forgotten. So, cycling vacations, sailing, walking tours, h hi ik ki in ng g, , f fi is sh hi in ng g a an nd d m ma an ny y o ot th he er r s su uc ch h simple pleasures hitherto swept to the inner recesses of the mind, may surface as reasons to holiday, but holiday differently. Health farms, spas, nature villages – these are all newer opportunities for those in the travel business to pivot to and attract potential visitors.

The 6 key factors in the overall travel scenario that will drive all of the trends will be

S Sa af fe et ty y Both perception and reality will matter, and all necessary protocols must be put in place to address the safety factor above all else.

Health Government may introduce mandatory checks.

H Hy yg gi ie en ne e There will be no compromise on this and all prescribed standards must be scrupulously followed.

Brands Those that will stand for q qu ua al li it ty y a an nd d r re el li ia ab bi il li it ty y w wi il ll l e em me erge as the winners of the tourism game.

Value Good value for good money will be the new mantra that prospective travellers will look for.

E Ex xp pe er ri ie en nc ce e Experience local as vocal, and other unique and localised experiential ideas will be the pull.

Government support

I In n o or rd de er r t to o r re ev vi iv ve e t th he e t to ou ur ri is sm m sector, it’s imperative to engage domestic as well as international markets. Therefore, by developing infrastructure and tourism services the government has to play a key role in organising Tourism Fair in t th he e l lo oc ca al l a an nd d g gl lo ob ba al l m ma ar rk ke et ts s i in n order to promote India and its people. Challenges are real but opportunities are concrete too. So let us once again begin to welcome our guests with an “Athithi Devo Bhava ” mindset, for surely better t ti im me es s a ar re e j ju us st t a ah he ea ad d. .