Uttarakhand Tourism Department Officials’ interaction
Officials from the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and other significant members of the state’s travel industry met with Ahmedabad’s travel industry today to discuss and consider ways to cooperate to promote travel between the two states.
Prospective investors from Ahmedabad attended the event, which was held at The Hyatt in Ahmedabad, and they spoke with top tourists and government officials from Uttarakhand.
The main purpose of this event was to interact with possible investors and highlight the state’s investment options and tourism potential. It was also an opportunity for members of the Uttarakhand travel industry to network with Ahmedabad colleagues in order to better understand the wants and needs of potential visitors from Gujarat.
Other UTDB representatives were Shri Sumit Pant, Director (Marketing & Publicity), and Shri Kamal Kishore Joshi, Public Relations Officer, under the direction of Shri Sachin Kurve, Secretary Tourism, Government of Uttarakhand.
Mr. Kurve informed the Gujarat investors at the meeting about numerous tourism destinations in Uttarakhand and land banks that offer excellent investment opportunities. The meeting’s attendees, who were investors, also expressed a desire to invest in Uttarakhand.
“Tourism is a big business and a considerable contributor to the state’s GDP, while at the same time employing a sizeable chunk of the state’s working population,” claims Mr. Sachin Kurve, Secretary of Tourism, Government of Uttarakhand. According to estimations, Gujarat ranks among the top five states that send tourists to Uttarakhand with a 10% share. Additionally, it has been noted that more than one-third of tourists arriving in Uttarakhand are female, indicating that the state is safe for women. The majority of foreign visitors favour travelling in groups, either with friends or family.
The state of Uttarakhand has a lot to offer, Mr. Kurve continued, including experiences and activities like river rafting in the Ganges, trekking through the hills, skiing down some of the gorgeous slopes in Auli, taking a cable car trip, and/or taking in the vistas of the majestic Himalayas. In addition, Rishikesh in Uttarakhand doubles as the globe’s “yoga” capital. The International Yoga Festival will take place here from March 1–7, 2023. A programme organised by the state government rewards travel operators for bringing in foreign visitors to the “Yoga” festival with rewards ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 5 lakhs.
The government just began a helicopter service to provide Himalayan Darshan from George Everest in Mussoorie, and recommendations to start Breakfast Tourism or Flying Picnic as a part of another tourist activity have also been made, according to him. Visitors can fly from Mussoorie to surrounding tourist destinations with Flying Picnic, where they can enjoy breakfast in restaurants and take pictures of the stunning valleys and landscapes. The Ministry of Environment and Forests’ permission is pending while the tourism department completes its preparation in this regard.
He added, “The state government plans to illuminate historic tourism destinations like Kasar Devi Temple, Katarmal Sun Temple, and Banasur Fort, among others, to enhance these locations’ attractiveness.”
Over 20 significant travel-related enterprises from Uttarakhand participated in the event and engaged with about 50 significant individuals from the city’s travel industry. The attendees had to take part in traditional celebrations that were reminiscent of Uttarakhand and eat food from the region.
With an aim of 70 million domestic visitors from its present estimated 35+ million, Uttarakhand has to make significant infrastructure improvements. To this purpose, the state is rapidly developing to enhance tourist amenities, which includes, among other things, renovation work at pilgrimage sites, the opening of homestays, the addition of hotel rooms, the improvement of roads and highways, the establishment of new airports, and so on. The state is looking for Gujarati investors to come and join in on these development initiatives, contributing to this growth process.
According to the officials present, it is anticipated that this activity will encourage inbound travel from Gujarat to Uttarakhand, resulting in an increase in travellers visiting the state for its diverse experiences and discovering new places.
This is the first significant effort to connect with potential visitors from Gujarat, and additional similar marketing campaigns are scheduled for the upcoming months.