Building a Truly Great Incubator; A New Doctrine for Academic Institutions By Mukesh Gupta
Chapter 3: The “Add On” Opportunities to Present Offerings - Food
Let’s be brutally honest. Tourists come for the forts, but what do they remember when they leave? Food.
Yet, for decades, we have relied on the same formula - buffets of paneer tikka, noodles, and gulab jamun. Whether in Jaipur or Kochi, the tourist often ends up eating the same spread. Safe, but soulless.
If Jaipur wants to leap from 10 million to 100 million, we could also weave food into our visitor experience. This is the hidden backbone of TWEH.
How good is this idea?
Brilliant. Because food creates memory. A fort is a photo; food is a feeling.
How unique is this approach?
Unique enough that few destinations have really built their incubators around food as a differentiator.
How useful will it be?
Immensely useful - because it creates opportunities for farmers, chefs, nutritionists, and students alike.
Now picture these possibilities:
Culinary Heritage Tourism – A visitor tastes the royal recipes of the Maharajas one evening, and the humble thali of a Rajasthani village the next. That contrast itself is a tourism product.
Farm Tours & Farm Stays – A family cycles through mustard fields, helps milk a cow, and stays overnight in an eco-farm. This is wellness, entertainment, and agriculture in one bundle.
Food Festivals & Farmers’ Markets – Seasonal events where farmers, chefs, and students showcase Rajasthani produce and recipes. A Millet Festival, a Camel Milk Carnival, a Mustard Bloom Fair.
Nutritional Diversity – Exhibiting how millets, pulses, and herbs connect to global health trends. Imagine telling a tourist: “This bajra roti is not just food; it’s immunity on a plate.”
Agri-Tech Startups – Students from farming families using drones, IoT, and AI to ensure traceable, safe, farm-fresh produce. A QR code on your atta packet lets you meet the farmer.
So, let me repeat: How good is this idea? As good as the taste of home food after weeks of travel.
How unique is it? Unique enough to put Jaipur on the global culinary tourism map.
How useful? Useful enough to double employment, income, and visitor delight.
