Located in the Central part of India, the state of Madhya Pradesh shares its boundaries with Uttar Pradesh in the north, Chhattisgarh in the east, Maharashtra in the south and Gujarat & Rajasthan in the west. It is among the fastest growing states in the country. Madhya Pradesh as a state is blessed with diverse cultural legacy and conferred abundantly with natural wealth and resources - fuel, minerals, agriculture, and biodiversity. In addition, it is the country's only diamond-producing state. Being an agrarian state, agriculture is the primary source of income for the people of Madhya Pradesh.  In addition to notable quantities of coal, coal-bed methane, manganese, and dolomite, Madhya Pradesh boasts of having the largest stone and copper reserves in India. Madhya Pradesh, usually referred to as ‘The Heart of Incredible India’, is one such state that has enormous potential to lure travelers of every segment. The state is home to 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 11 National Parks, 24 Wildlife Sanctuaries and 6 Tiger Reserves along with several other diverse tourism attractions. In spite of the tremendous opportunities, the state has dragged behind in the tourism phenomena. Of late, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has signed an agreement with a travel company, Travelxp, to highlight and showcase the magnificence and distinctiveness of its tourism destinations to the travellers worldwide. The objective of the present study is to highlight the potential of Madhya Pradesh as a world class tourism hub. The study also carries out a detailed evaluation of challenges and prospects of promoting religious, adventure and heritage tourism in Madhya Pradesh.

KEYWORDS: Tourism, Madhya Pradesh, Wildlife, Lake, Heritage, Religious.