Patna, May 24: A low-cost airline today announced to start operations from the city and International Finance Corporation (IFC) pledged to develop the infrastructure in the Buddhist circuit at a packed tourism department show, a marked departure from the lacklustre Udyami Panchayat at Rajgir last month.

SpiceJet — India’s second largest low-cost airline — is expected to start operations from Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport here this winter. IFC, a wing of the World Bank Group, would start working on the development of the Buddhist circuit in the state by June-end.

The double boost to the tourism sector came at “Bihar Calling — Conference on Tourism, Heritage and Hospitality”, an initiative of the state tourism, and art, culture and youth affairs departments, in association with the Indian Chamber of Commerce. The participation of executives from the hospitality sector giants, including ITC Hotels, travel and tour operators comprising Cox and Kings and a number of players in the tourism sector would be an inspiration for the state government after a few invitees turned up at the Udyami Panchayat organised at Rajgir on April 29 with special focus on the tourism sector.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who was present at the Rajgir show also, appeared upbeat with the success of today’s event. “I am delighted with the way this conference has been organised. We had discussions with the travel and tour operators during the last Udyami Panchayat but I am delighted to see such a large gathering here. The immense potential of tourism sector in Bihar can be gauged by the sharp rise in tourist inflow to the state in the past couple of years. I guarantee security to the investors but first they should invest.”

Speaking to The Telegraph on the sidelines of “Bihar Calling — Conference on Tourism, Heritage and Hospitality”, Shaun Mann, the tourism programme manager of the IFC, said: “We have signed an agreement with the Government of India and the Government of Bihar last week for developing the Buddhist circuit in Bihar utilising funds to the tune of Rs 5 crore. We would be signing a similar agreement with state government of Uttar Pradesh in the next week. The project is basically aimed at filling up the infrastructure and the resources gaps in the Buddhist tourism sector in India. We would start identifying the infrastructure gaps in the Buddhist circuit in Bihar by the end of June.”

In a packed hall, senior vice-president of SpiceJet Kamal Hingorani said: “We are in talks with the Airports Authority of India and the state government to start our scheduled operations in Bihar. We are contemplating to run our flights from Patna and Bodhgaya to Delhi, Varanasi and Calcutta. We intend to start our operations from Bihar from the upcoming winter season.”

Considering the safety concern at the Patna airport, the budget carrier is expected to operate comparatively smaller planes from the city. “We are intending to operate Bombardier Dash 8Q 400 from Patna and Boeing 737-800 from the Gaya international airport,” said Hingorani.

Amid the vibrancy, few participants highlighted the issues crippling the tourism sector in Bihar. Manoj Saluja, the director of Delhi-based Siddhartha International, said: “There is absolutely no support from the state government in the hospitality sector. First, the state government neither provides land nor it has created any land bank for the hotel industry. Moreover, it is very difficult to find dispute-free land in Bihar. The state government does not give any kind of subsidy in the hotel industry either as in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.”

Karan Anand, the director of Cox and Kings, told The Telegraph: “There is a positive vibe in the state but much has to be done in the field of infrastructure development, hotels and highways among others.” He added that his firm does not have any plans for opening its offices in the state as of now.

Shantum Seth, a leading Buddhist tourism consultant in American and European markets, said: “Bihar still hasn’t created a brand image in the international market despite being the land of Buddha. There is acute shortage of buses, hotels and roadside amenities for tourists coming to Bihar. I would like to emphasise that Patna should also be developed and propagated as an important Buddhist site.”