Karwar to be the next coastal tourist destination
Mohamed Farouk with Susheela Nair of Essen Communications
Karwar, in Karnataka is going to be the next coastal tourist destination, besides Goa. It was informed by the Tourism Director Mohamed Farouk.
“We are focusing on leisure tourists, who comprise 30 per cent of the market, apart from international tourists. We are keen on promoting off-beat destinations like Karwar, St Mary’s Island, Kudremukh and Kalasa in Chikmagalur,” said Farouk
The director said the Department of Tourism has chosen Karwar in the first phase and is preparing an action plan to develop it as one of the major coastal tourist attractions.
Farouk was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the inauguration of the three-day long photo exhibition – “The Great Outdoors-2018”, at Chitrakala Parishath, organised by Essen Communications, to celebrate the Year of Adventure Tourism. An array of 100 photographs on aero sports, terrestrial sports, aqua sports and off-beat adventures are on display.
Karwar Beach
“We will invite photographers, writers, bloggers, opinion writers and promoters to promote Karwar as the next preferred destination,” added the director.
Farouk said work will begin from January, to get domestic tourists during summer holiday months (March- June) and international tourists from to December.
“We want to attract families, children, adventure lovers and niche tourists. We have learnt that very few people visit Karwar, despite its proximity to Goa. Guests to Goa visit Karwar only for day trips. We want people to stay in. We will be partnering with Karnataka Tourism, Jungle Lodges and Resorts and private stakeholders also. The ministry will also be working on Kalasa to promote eco, tribal and rural tourism,” he said.
Karwar War Ship Museum
Karwar is a port city in Karnataka. It’s known for beaches like Rabindranath Tagore Beach, with dive spots, and black-sand Tilmati Beach to the north. The INS Chapal (K94) Warship Museum, in a former missile boat, has artifacts and videos on the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The hilltop Sadashivgad Fort has a temple dedicated to the goddess Durga, plus views of the Kali River and Arabian Sea.