TravTalk India Online Magazine
Tourism in Uttarakhand continues to witness steady growth, but there is more on the cards. The state’s tourism department is taking up several initiatives such as expansion of infrastructure, introduction of new activities, and development of the local community that will support and participate in this growth.
Tripti Mehta
The state of Uttarakhand, home to mighty Himalayan summits and the holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna, has a number of offerings for tourists. While pilgrim tourism in the state has thrived, there still lies more potential that is being identified, developed, and promoted by Government of Uttarakhand.
Vision 2030
Giving an insight into Uttarakhand’s tourism department’s vision for the state, Satpal Maharaj, Minister, Tourism, Government of Uttarakhand, says, “We have set a vision for 2030. We hope to have an international airport near Rishikesh that will have flights from cities like Kuala Lumpur, London, New York, etc, and these flights will be called Yoga flights, Ganga flights or Himalaya flights, improving connectivity with the rest of the world. We require an additional full-fledged airport because presently, our domestic airport in Dehradun is completely choked as it receives 22 flights a day. Also, there flows a river to the front of the airport so we cannot expand it any further.”
A railway line between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag, close to the holy town of Badrinath, is also being constructed, says the Minister. These all-weather roads will help make travel to the hills easier, thereby boosting the scope of tourism even further.
Uttarakhand’s landscape is quite diverse, offering travellers a taste of different adventure sports, year-round. Leveraging this rich topography is on the state’s tourism agenda and for that, building good infrastructure tops the state’s to-do list. “We want to promote trekking, especially among the local people. We also want more homestays, maybe pod hotels, too. The state has sulphur springs and water springs, so a hotel around that will also be a good attraction for tourists. Promoting medical and wellness tourism in the state is also a proposition. The spiritual town of Rishikesh, the land of temples and pilgrimage sites, also offers adventure lovers a plethora of exciting opportunities to test their skill. The ashrams and meditation centres in Rishikesh help attract multitudes of domestic and international tourists.”
Besides adventure tourism, the state is also an ideal destination for those seeking peace and tranquillity, while also experiencing the culture and religions of India. Tourists from all over the world come to the state for trekking, mountaineering, river rafting, paragliding, bungee jumping and skiing. “Currently, we have a lot of domestic tourists because of the char-dham yatra. We want to disperse the crowd of religious travellers a bit and make them visit other places as well. For this, we are actively advertising and introducing new activities. For instance, in Auli, we’re introducing new activities such as ropeways for kids. A new convention centre is also being constructed in Dehradun. We will also develop the Buddhist Circuit and have a number of destinations under this unit.”
Challenges
One challenge that the state tourism department is looking to overcome is the promotion of tourism amongst the local community, says the Minister. “People do not understand the potential of local tourism. We want to have professionals come over and make them train the local population.”
PATA ATRTCM
- The PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2019 (ATRTCM), a three-day event that comprises a one-day travel trade mart and a one-day conference, is to be held from February 13-15, 2019, in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
