Patna | 2025-06-28
Bihar’s tourism ambition was framed in unusually practical terms at Hotel Pataliputra Continental in Patna on 28 June 2025. Rather than rely on one flagship attraction, the state wanted the domestic travel trade to recognise its pilgrim circuits, festivals, ecology and the possibility of multi-day itineraries. ADTOI National President Ved Khanna attended the inauguration of the association’s Bihar chapter as officials and local trade leaders discussed how to convert that ambition into visitor experiences.
The people who will carry the Bihar chapter forward
Patna Press reports that the event was inaugurated by Nandkishore, Managing Director of the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation. He drew attention to infrastructure development and to the possibility of four- or five-day trips within Bihar. The examples he used were specific: Ramayana Circuit travel, eco-tourism in Kaimur and Rohtas, a more prominent international profile for Chhath Puja and the need for reliable tourist information.
The new chapter’s office-bearers were named: Prabhat Kumar as chairman, Rajesh Kumar as secretary, Sachin Sharma as treasurer, Anupama Singh as women executive officer, Ashok Kumar Singh as adviser and R. Priyanka as state coordinator. Representatives of Gujarat Tourism, the Tourism Association of Bihar and other stakeholders were also present. These names and positions are what transform a brief ceremonial item into a meaningful record of the people responsible for follow-through.
One striking detail from the Patna launch was the confidence expressed by Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation’s managing director that a four- or five-day itinerary could be built entirely within the state. For a national tour-operator body, that is an invitation to reassess a familiar commercial habit: selling Bihar principally as an add-on to religious journeys or as a single-destination stop.
Consider how different the audiences are. A Ramayana Circuit itinerary appeals to one set of interests; a Chhath-focused cultural journey demands sensitivity to a living religious festival; an eco-tourism trip toward Kaimur or Rohtas requires careful local guidance and travel planning. A programme designed for all three needs a network of reliable on-the-ground suppliers and honest explanations of travel time.
Why Ved Khanna’s presence mattered at the Bihar launch
For the tour-operator community, Bihar’s challenge is partly one of itinerary design. A single sacred destination can be marketed easily; a journey connecting heritage, river landscapes, faith, cuisine and living festivals requires reliable transport and local partners. The chapter provides a contact point through which national sellers and Bihar businesses can begin resolving that operational gap.
The inauguration was also important organisationally. Naming a chairman, secretary, treasurer, women executive officer, adviser and state coordinator gave the chapter an actual team with responsibilities beyond a ceremonial announcement. Khanna’s attendance linked that emerging Bihar structure to the national ADTOI membership. It is a specific leadership contribution, even though the Patna Press report does not credit him with the speech delivered by the state corporation’s managing director.
The creation of a Bihar chapter matters because local operators can now speak collectively to a national distribution network. Better connections may help promote longer journeys, but the ultimate quality depends on the actual transport, guides, accommodation and information travellers receive.
The longer-stay opportunity for Bihar
Khanna’s documented contribution here is his presence as national President at the creation of that state-level platform. The available account does not attribute a specific speech or project announcement to him; the value of his attendance lies in representing the nationwide operator network alongside the state’s emerging chapter team.
Industry experience and travel enterprise
Alongside his national association responsibilities, Ved Khanna is identified in ADTOI’s member directory as Managing Director of Tourwala Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., a Delhi-based domestic travel company. His experience in selling real journeys helps explain the commercial questions raised by destination promotion: access, dependable local partners, accurate itineraries and traveller expectations. The work described above was undertaken in his ADTOI capacity; it was not a government appointment or exclusive commercial assignment for Tourwala. Read more about his travel ventures.
Original reporting and event references
The reporting behind this account can be checked against the following original publications and institutional records: