Bihar has historical and magnificent cultural heritage. Here is Nalanda, which was once a big center of education. This is the same area where Lord Mahavir had visited. Patna is where the 9th Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh was born. Mother Sita’s birthplace is Sitamarhi and Bodh Gaya is where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.
This clearly means that there is a lot of potential for tourism in Bihar. But tourism of any state does not increase just because it has a rich history. The most important thing is that connectivity to those historical places should be easy, so that tourists can reach there easily. But there are many tourist places in Bihar where it takes time to reach and the connectivity is also not good. Now in view of all these problems, Samrat Chaudhary’s government is starting Heli Tourism and Air Tourism Scheme.
What is Heli Tourism and Air Tourism Scheme?
Under the Heli Tourism and Air Tourism Scheme, a 6-month pilot project is being started from July 15. In this pilot project, for the time being, Patna will be connected to Rajgir and Kaimur Maa Mundeshwari Temple through helicopter service. Tourists will be taken to Valmikinagar, the only tiger reserve of Bihar, in a small plane. At the same time, in the interval of a week, tourists and local people will be given the facility of 10 minutes helicopter ride to see the view of Patna from the sky.
Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation has been given the responsibility of booking, tourism packages, refunds and customer services under this scheme. At the same time, the responsibility of security, helipad management and emergency preparedness will remain with the district administration. A state level committee headed by its Development Commissioner will monitor the entire scheme and review the pilot project.
Why were Maa Mundeshwari Temple, Rajgir and Valmikinagar selected in the pilot project?
Rajgir of Bihar has become internationally recognized. Buddhist devotees and history lovers from all over the world come here. Apart from this, the distance from here to Bodh Gaya is also not much. At the same time, Maa Mundeshwari temple of Kaimur is counted as one of the most active temples of the country. At the same time, tourists come to Valmikinagar to see forests, rivers and wildlife. All three have different and important importance in tourism of Bihar. The government has taken these few facts into consideration to include these places in the pilot project. Besides, the difficulty and distance in reaching these places has also been taken into account.
- To reach Maa Mundeshwari temple of Kaimur, one has to travel a long distance through dusty roads and rural roads.
- It takes almost a whole day to travel by road to reach Tiger Reserve Valmikinagar.
- It also takes several hours to reach Rajgir due to traffic, jam and uncertain condition of roads in Bihar.
- These places can be reached in less time through heli tourism and air tourism.
What is the fare, how will the expenses of this scheme be covered?
However, under the Heli and Air Tourism Scheme, the cost of operating helicopters and aircraft cannot be met by ticket sales alone. The government will meet this expense in the form of Viability Gap Funding i.e. subsidy in rental assistance. Bihar government will pay Rs 87 lakh to the company every month and Rs 99,000 per hour for flight operations under the Chief Minister Bihar Heli-Tourism and Air Tourism Service Scheme. This amount will be given to meet the difference between the fare income received from passengers and the total expenses.
- Patna Joy Ride: Rs 2,100 per person
- Pattana to Rajgir: Rs 4,000 per person (one-way fare)
- Patna to Valmikinagar: Rs 5,000 per person (one-way fare)
- Patna to Maa Mundeshwari Temple (Kaimur): Rs 6,000 per person (one-way fare)
Bihar government itself says that the objective of this scheme is not to earn commercial profits. Rather tourism has to be increased. If this plan is successful, the number of tourists in Bihar will increase in the coming times. Will stay in hotels, hire taxis, eat in local restaurants, buy handicrafts. Its benefit will be beneficial for Bihar’s tourism as well as its entire economy.
Bihar government wants to take tourism economy to Rs 67,00068,000 crore
According to the data of 2024-25, GSDP of Bihar is approximately Rs 9.92 lakh crore. Bihar government wants that the contribution of tourism industry in the state should reach the national average of 6.8% i.e. Rs 67,00068,000 crore. According to an estimate, the contribution of tourism in the state’s economy is 3 to 4 percent i.e. Rs 29,760 to 39,680 crore. Apart from this, the government also wants to identify 50 new eco-tourism destinations and bring 20 lakh jobs through tourism.
The budget on tourism has increased in recent years in Bihar. The Tourism Department has cited getting more budget for infrastructure and promotion. According to Reserve Bank of India data, the state government’s developmental revenue expenditure on tourism is set to increase from Rs 214.9 crore in 2025 to an all-time high of Rs 287.5 crore in 2026. This is a big change in the old patterns of spending.
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