By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 10 Jan: The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised its 15th webinar under the Border Tourism Webinar Series on 7 January, focusing on Udham Singh Nagar District for the promotion of Border Tourism in Uttarakhand. The webinar was supported by the Union Ministry of Tourism.
Vinod Zutshi, former Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism, said on the occasion that visiting the border states provides a culturally and historically rich experience. In the light of the fragile nature of Uttarakhand’s environment, it is crucial to promote Sustainable Tourism by adopting measures such as regulation of footfalls, having a robust Disaster Management System ready to act. The state government should also look at developing alternative tourist attractions and promote ‘Winter Sports’ activities which states like Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir have established.
Saurabh Rishi, Joint Adviser – Aspirational Districts Programme, NITI Aayog, stated that Udham Singh Nagar over the past few years has shown significant growth across various socio-economic indicators. However, with this growth it is crucial to focus on Sustainable Development, especially Sustainable Tourism given the past incidents in the region. The road connectivity of Uttarakhand from the National Capital Region is great and with the new concepts of staycations, the tourism in the region can be further enhanced through homestays.
Pawan S Jain, Chair, Tourism & Hospitality Committee, PHDCCI, mentioned that popularly known as Devbhoomi, Uttarakhand has several well-known destinations like Nainital, Mussoorie, Corbett National Park, Auli and pilgrimage sites like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Rishikesh and Haridwar. It receives tourists from across the globe, who visit this great land in the search of physical, mental and spiritual healing.
Hemant Kochhar, Chair, Uttarakhand Chapter, PHDCCI, mentioned that many Border States allow cultural intermingling through Border Tourism. However, there is a stark need for more engaging forms of tourism to which many private players will also be able to contribute. Uttarakhand has over the years shown immense growth in its connectivity infrastructure thus becoming a hub for spiritual travellers.
Rajan Sehgal, Co-Chair – Tourism & Hospitality Committee, proposed the formal vote of thanks. The webinar was moderated by Dr Yogesh Srivastav, Assistant Secretary General, PHDCCI, and received participation of senior government officials, travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, tour guides, airline professionals, travel associations and students from the travel and hospitality institutes.
