Staying in this tourist paradise? No problem, there are several top-of-the-line hotels here, including one belonging to an international chain. Getting to and from this place? No problem, again, it's the divisional headquarters of the Western railways, well-connected to all important cities in India.

So why, you ask, is Vadodara not a tourist centre? Good question; it's just that few seem to have the answer. City-based hoteliers say people from outside ask them about the places to visit, so the interest factor is present. The mystery deepens when Yamini Mehta, senior tourist officer of Gujarat Tourism, says, the city has all the infrastructure for attracting tourists. What seems to be the problem?

Rajesh Sen, sales manager of Welcomgroup Vadodara, throws some light on this when he says, ``There is no place at present where people can collect information about the various places they want to visit.'' Expanding on this, he says people from other parts of the country are not aware where they can go, whom they can turn to for help. He suggests that the tourism department advertise in the local dailies or even have strategic points where information could be made available.

Most of the guests at Sen's hotel -- and, indeed, at others in the city -- visit Vadodara on business. ``The few tourists we do get come to Vadodara from Madhya Pradesh on their way to Mumbai. If they have time, they might see the palace or the university; usually, it's no more than half a day''.

Other hoteliers, agreeing with him, said that was why they did not have any permanent infrastructure to show their guests around; they arranged tours on an ad hoc basis.

Interestingly, the rush to the `touristy' spots is usually by Barodians. Witness the throngs at Ajwa or Nimeta, or even at Pavagadh. The reason is very simple: Barodians have their own modes of transport and get around independently. Though there are buses to Ajwa, the services are not publicised prominently. There are exceptions, though; during the peak season, buses -- packed side to side -- from Gandhi Travels and Modern Travels have to leave every 15 minutes!

Mehta agrees with the point made about lack of transport facilities. ``People can go to the base of Pavagadh by bus, but that's where the line ends; there's no transport to reach the ropeway,'' she explains.

Surprisingly, she doesn't agree fully with the notion that Vadodara has drawing power. The EME temple, the Fatehsinghrao Museum, the Tambekarwada and the planetarium are fine, she says, ``but not many people will be lured by them because similar sights can be seen in other cities as well''.

There is a general and wide-ranging consensus that the palace, if properly restored and promoted, could be a crowd-puller. ``Many people still have the fascination of seeing how the kings lived, a fascination that is not sated by merely visiting the museum,'' Mehta said.

The narrow-gauge trains -- a throwback to the days of the Raj -- could also prove to be a crowd-puller. The royal salons are still around, in fairly good condition; in fact, they were deployed on trial runs around the Pratapnagar Station area early last year to good public response. ``The infrastructural facilities have to be improved before any long-term decision can be taken,'' said Western Railways' Vadodara Divisional Railway Manager K C Jena.

District Collector Anil Mukim, ex-officio in charge of tourism in the district, says plans have failed mainly because the right people were not being approached at the right time. ``The hoteliers are not informed and there is no attractive publicity being made at the moment''.

However, there's some good news on the horizon: A committee, comprising representatives of the VMC, members of hotel associations, local tourism officials and museum authorities, had been set up to find a way out. The committee is to meet next week.

That seems to be the only ray of hope for the cultural capital.