Home Stay and Rural Tourism to get boost in India

Reporting by M.M.Khanna, Travel Journalist, C/O indianewscalling.com
Shimla, 21.08.07: Shri Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister said that the State Government would give a boost to the Home Stay and Rural Tourism.

It will also consider exemption over procedural registration of such units, change of land use fee, luxury tax, sales tax and commercial charges on electricity, redistricted to five bed rooms and water so that rural participation was ensured in tourism, a house hold affair, in the State. He was presiding over the 2nd Meeting of the Tourism Development Board, held here under his Chairmanship today. He said that State Government would be adopt liberal attitude towards the rural tourism promotion and encourage people to create basic infrastructure to cater to the basic requirements of the tourists visiting rural and remote areas for which additional incentives would be provided.

Chief Minister said State Government would preparing a Master Development Plan for Kufri as high end tourist destination extended upto Durgapur with a special focus on sanitation, garbage disposal system, type of construction to be carried out for tourism activities and develop Craignano as alternate tourist destination by creating the basic amenities for the visitors to the area. He said efforts would be made to re-locate the pony riders at suitable places so that their earning was not hampered and the places were maintained hygienically neat and clean to attract maximum number of tourists to visit the place.

Shri Virbhadra Singh said that the Executive Committee of the Board would be appointing consultants to undertake survey and offer the projects which included Ski Resort-cum-Rope-way at Chanshal, Ski Resort-cum-Rope-way at Bashal, Ropeway from Dharamshala to Triund, Rope-way to Bijli Mahadev, Ropeway from Manali to Rohtang, Golf-Course and Resort at Baddi, Bara gaon, near Manali, Health Resort at Shatinari etc. with a view to give boost to tourism activities in these areas. He said that other possible areas would be explored to create quality tourism infrastructure.

Chief Minister said that supporting infrastructure would be created by improving the important roads, bus stand, shopping Malls, parking and wayside amenities to the visitors. He emphasized the need for creation of land bank where adequate land was acquired on the national and State highways which could be utilized for the creation of way-side amenities and requirements essential for quality tourism. He directed the authorities to install signages on all the major roads clearly mentioning the distance of important towns and places connected by the road to that travellers were not lost midway of their destination. He said that direction of the Hon’ble Supreme Court needed to be adhered to in this regard strictly.

Shri Virbhadra Singh said that the tribal tourism needed to be given added preference which was favourite destination for the foreigners. He said that some local entrepreneurs had attempted to create basic infrastructure to cater to the requirements of the foreigners and domestic tourist which needed to be encouraged and incentives in the shape of exemption in taxes etc. were provided to such entrepreneurs which would benefit the local people with employment and self-employment etc. besides strengthening the tribal economy.

Chief Minister said that all tourism projects needed to be brought to the State Level Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority for final clearance after the same were issued certificate by the Commissioner Tourism. He said that it would help in bringing about transparency in the functioning of the State Government. He said that the change in land use by some entrepreneurs would also get checked and permission would be granted only after taking all related aspects into consideration.

Shri Virbhadra Singh said that Himachal Pradesh was the first and continues to be the first and only State to offer Heli-skiing in the country, attracting foreigners. He said that Himachal Pradesh was probably the first State in the country which created legislative framework for enforcement of safety norms in the field of adventure sports and tourism.

Shri Virbhadra Singh said that his Government’s priority was to improve quality of tourism in the State. He said that earlier Himachal Pradesh was looked upon as a destination for back packers and need had surfaced to create environment for mega investments in quality hospitality projects which could cater to the high spending tourists. He said that the emphasize was needed to promote rural tourism in order to diversify the tourists from over saturated areas, improve and develop basic infrastructural facilities like Water, parking, sewerage, roads, sanitation etc. at important tourist destinations to maintain pollution free environment and to strengthen the civil aviation sectors as also to operate heli-taxi services facility.

Shri Avay Shukla, Additional Chief Secretary welcomed the Chief Minister and introduced him to the future plans of tourism development in the State. He said that Buddhist Circuit could help in promoting the tourism activities in the tribal areas. He said that plan had been drawn to construct over a dozen Five Star Hotels all over the State under vision-2020, 50 heritage villages and improving connectivity.

Shri Subhash Ahluwalia, Commissioner Tourism proposed vote of thanks and assured the Chief Minister that there would not be any laxity to achieve the target by the stipulated period. He said that two more Tourist Information Centres were proposed to be opened at Parwanoo and Nahan.

August 21, 2007   Posted in: India