To ensure employment opportunities for women in the tourism sector, and to improve sustainability, the ‘Sankalp: Safe Tourism Campaign’ will be launched. It was initially launched as a 15-day campaign from August 10 to 25, which will then be implemented in a phased manner by dividing 50 tourist destinations into 20 clusters.

Reports add that the project has been approved by the Central Ministry of Women and Child Development Department under ‘Nirbhaya Scheme’ and Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board is operating it in collaboration with UN Women, Women and Child Development, Urban Development and Housing Department and Police Department. If reports are to go by, the aim of this project is to create a favourable environment for women by training them, and creating awareness about their safety.

In line with this development, women will turn into boat operators to host tourists at Omkareshwar, a tourist place that is around 80 km from Indore, while others will be groomed to be storytellers to narrate the rich history of the state to travel enthusiasts.

Reports add that more than a dozen women from local villages are undergoing training to row boats to ferry tourists. And if things go as planned, the first batch of trained boat operators will likely take the job within the next two months.

This is as part of the ‘Safe Tourism Destination for Women’ programme by the state tourism board, which is focused on grooming women in hospitality, guards, driving, photography, self-defence, and more. The initiative is aimed at making women friendly tourist destinations in MP.

Referring to this, MP Tourism Principal Secretary Sheo Shekhar Shukla added that they are committed to make the destinations safe and tourist friendly. He added that they are implementing an ambitious project of training 10,000 women in hospitality related job roles and enhancing their direct participation in the tourism industry, and that they are also training 40,000 women in and around 50 destinations on skills of self defence to make our destinations safe for women travellers.

Reports add that Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has formed 20 clusters across 50 tourist spots in the state to train women in different sectors.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board Rural Tourism Director Manoj Singh stated that as part of the plan, they have started with Omkareshwar where training has already started, and that the second phase will include Maheshwar and other water bodies where tourists prefer boating.