U’khand to be developed as world class wedding destination
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 15 Jul: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today claimed said the state government is working at a rapid pace to establish Uttarakhand as a world-class wedding destination and asserted that the ‘Wed in Uttarakhand’ campaign would provide a major boost to the local economy and employment. He also invited the wedding planners, the event specialists and tourism stakeholders from across the country to partner with the government in promoting the state’s tourism potential.
Addressing the ‘Grace Hindustan 2.0 Uttarakhand’ National Wedding Professionals Conference organised by the International Convention of Event Industries (ICEI) at Punarnava Wellness Resort, Kimadi, on the Mussoorie-Dehradun road here today, the CM welcomed the wedding planners, event experts, tourism entrepreneurs and delegates from across the country to Uttarakhand. He said the conference would serve as an important platform for expanding tourism in the state, particularly wedding tourism.
Dhami said that deliberations by the experts from the tourism, wedding and event industries during the two-day conference would provide a fresh direction to tourism development in Uttarakhand. Congratulating the entire ICEI team and Punarnava Wellness Resort founder Acharya Ashish Semwal for organising the event, he expressed confidence that the outcome of the discussions would help take the state’s tourism sector to new heights.
The CM claimed that the state government is continuously working to translate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Wed in Uttarakhand’ into reality. He expressed confidence that with the support of professionals associated with the wedding and event industry, Uttarakhand can be established as one of the country’s as well as the world’s leading wedding destinations.
He said marriage in Indian culture is not merely a social ceremony but a sacred union of two souls, and the spiritual, cultural and natural heritage of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand makes such occasions even more divine. Referring to Triyuginarayan Temple, believed to be the site of the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, he said such historic and religious heritage gives Uttarakhand a unique identity as a destination wedding venue.
Dhami said the government is rapidly developing Triyuginarayan, Omkareshwar (Ukhimath), Ramnagar, Tehri, Mussoorie and several other suitable locations as world-class destination wedding centres. He pointed out that destination weddings are not confined to hotels and resorts alone, but generate direct employment and income opportunities for local artisans, folk artistes, homestay operators, taxi drivers and many small businesses. For this reason, he said, the government considers wedding tourism an effective means of strengthening the local economy and promoting self-employment.
The CM claimed that the government’s objective is to ensure that tourists visiting Uttarakhand not only enjoy its scenic beauty but also experience its culture, spirituality and hospitality. He described Uttarakhand as a unique confluence of nature, culture, spirituality and wellness, offering visitors a complete tourism experience.
The CM said that Uttarakhand has emerged as one of the country’s most trusted states due to improved law and order, good governance and investor-friendly policies. He said the government was giving special emphasis to strengthening Triple R connectivity through roads, railways and ropeways. Projects such as the Char Dham All Weather Road, the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line, various ropeway projects, expansion of Jolly Grant and Pantnagar airports, and development of heliports in all districts would significantly improve connectivity and provide a major boost to tourism.
Dhami said the government remains committed to implementing Ease of Doing Business in a practical manner. Through the single-window clearance system, investors, wedding planners and event organisers were being provided all necessary administrative support.
Office-bearers of the International Convention of Event Industries, Punarnava Wellness Resort founder Acharya Ashish Semwal, wedding planners, experts from the event and tourism industries, entrepreneurs, investors and a large number of distinguished guests were present on the occasion.
Manmohan Singh Malla, Sandeep Sawhney and Rajat Kapur were among the eminent guests from across India present at Punarnava Resort. The two-day conference will conclude tomorrow.
It may be noted here that Rituraj Khanna, a renowned wedding planner and organiser of the conference, who is a native of Mussoorie, has organised many high profile weddings across the world and has earned a name for himself in the field.
