In a bid to promote tourism activities, especially adventurous and safe tourism for women, the state tourism department recently launched an all-woman biking adventure trip ‘Tigress on the Trail’.Minister of tourism, Usha Thakur, was the chief guest on the occasion. In all, 15 women bikers from across the country were flagged off who will ride approximately 1,500 kilometres in different parts of the state with the message to promote safe and secure tourism in MP.
The fleet of 15 bikers began the six-day journey from Bhopal on November 19 and will cover national parks, namely Satpura National Park, Kanha National Park, and the Bandhavgarh National Park, along with a plethora of other places, each offering a glimpse into the natural and cultural diversity that Madhya Pradesh offers. The journey would end on Day 6 on November 25 at Bhopal, after a morning at the Khajuraho Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage site.The state tourism department is touting the bike tour as the first of its kind in the country.
The tourism minister Usha Thakur said on the occasion that if there is undaunted, fearless and safe tourism anywhere, it is in Madhya Pradesh, the heartland of the country. The minister added that the girls are the pride of the nation and only cultured and empowered daughters form a strong foundation for the nation. She said that the problems caused due to COVID-19 in the field of tourism will have to be overcome through such innovations to take tourism to great heights.
Principal Secretary of tourism department, Sheo Shekhar Shukla has said that the objective of the event is to convince all tourists that Madhya Pradesh is a completely safe destination even for a ‘solo woman traveler’ and that it has immense possibilities of adventure tourism.
He said that the first women’s biking trail is an innovation in which the fame of tourist destinations of the state will be further enhanced. These women bikers will not only enjoy, promote and propagate tourism in the state, but also will inspire other women to come forward to do so.
The women bikers include Edwina D’Souza, 31, from Mumbai; Silvana, 35, from Italy; Amita Singh, 43, from Bhubaneswar; Meenakshi Rao, 35, from Tamil Nadu; Sushri Sheetal Sharma, 23; Komal Mandloi, 24; 29-year-old Kirti Alava; 41-year-old Surabhi Bhadoria; 21-year-old Anushka Jain; 32-year-old Meenakshi Thakur, from Indore; 28-year-old Nivia Singh from West Bengal; 57-year-old Neeta Khandekar from Punjab; 24-year-old Meghna Patil from Pune, 30-year-old Pooja Vikram from Patna and 24-year-old Sonia Adhikare from Bengaluru.
