Punjab to focus on enhancing heritage tourism
In a move to increase the tourism footfalls in the state, government of Punjab is giving emphasize to heritage tourism. As per reports, heritage sites the in the state have been witnessing increased tourism activities in recent years.
“The Heritage Street in Amritsar has really increased the footfall of tourists many times. The Golden Temple in Amritsar receives 1.25 lakhs tourist everyday which is the highest footfall compared to any other heritage in the country,” said Malwinder Singh Jaggi, Director, Punjab Tourism.
“The Wagah border is also getting good number tourists. There are lot of other attractions also in and around Amritsar,” he added.
The have identified many destinations in the state to develop them as world class. They include places such as Amritsar’s Heritage Street, Gobindgarh Fort, Wagah Border, Jallianwala Bagh, War Memorial, Partition Museum, Pul Moran and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Summer Place amongst others.
Jallianwala Bagh
“We are restoring all the heritage sites in Punjab in a phased manner. But the important places like Kila Mubarak, Patiala, Sheesh Mahal, Ranwas Palace are also being renovated. Ranwas Palace will be converted to a heritage hotel. We also have plans to renovate sites of historical and religious importance with the help of Centre under the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme,” said the director.
Apart from state funds, the tourism sector is also gets assistance from the Union Ministry of Tourism under various developmental schemes.
The state could avail financial aids worth Rs 600 crore from Asian Development Bank for its tourism development projects. Rs 250 core has already been spent for various projects. It is envisaged to spend Rs 125 crore for the beautification of Amritsar city.
The state tourism department has also plans to developing rural tourism. “We are focussing on farm tourism. Some of the farm tourism products in Hoshiarpur are getting good response,” said Jaggi.
“We welcome 4.83 lakh foreign tourists every year. Our aim is to grow this number and we aim to become one of the top states in terms of foreign tourist arrivals by 2020,” added the director.
