The stakeholders in the tourism industry in Jaisalmer have come up with a first-of-its-kind initiative.

The economy of Jaisalmer, heavily dependent on tourism, took a massive hit due to the pandemic. The low number of travellers in last year has led to one of the major flight operators&mdashSpiceJet&mdashto suspend their direct flights from cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad to Jaisalmer due to losses. 

In order to revive the tourism sector, various stakeholders such as hotel owners, taxi operators, tour operators and guide associations, along with allied parties and the district administration, have come up with a mutually-convenient tourism initiative. 

An MoU was signed between these stakeholders and SpiceJet to ensure uninterrupted flight service to Jaisalmer. Spearheaded by a non-profit organisation&mdashI Love Jaisalmer&mdashthe initiative aims to reduce the losses of the airline, while working closely with the community and pooling their resources. This community-led, self-reliant initiative aims to bring back tourism to the city with the setting up of mechanisms and platforms to boost air ticket sales, and by ensuring flight connectivity from Delhi and Ahmedabad for six days each week. 

&ldquoThe idea of pooling resources for shared problems isn&rsquot new to Jaisalmer," says Manvendra Singh Shekhawat, President, I Love Jaisalmer. "Everybody associated with the tourism industry decided to find a way out collectively. The city is expecting to hold Annual Jaisalmer Desert Festival in end of February, cancelled earlier. Most of the hotels In Jaisalmer are booked for the next one month and the city is expecting good tourism ahead. Way forward, we plan, Jaisalmer as a destination for night tourism. Festivals, events and development of ancillary industry is linchpin for development of regional tourism.&rdquo

The first flight of this citizen-airline partnership will take off on February 12, 2021.