Tag: Uttarakhand Tourism

The Uttarakhand tourism department will provide discount coupons to tourists who check in to hotels and homestays across the state. This pilot project, aimed at improving tourism in the picturesque Himalayan state, comes with a ‘Tourist Incentive Coupon’ worth Rs 1,000, Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj has said. The offer, which will come into effect in the next few days, will be applicable to tourists who make e-bookings for a three-day stay in hotels or homestays in the state, Conde Nast Traveller reports. “The tourists will be given the discount coupon while registering themselves on the government portal under tourist category. ... Read more

Uttarakhand is looking to develop a ‘Ramayana Circuit’, comprising all holy sites linked with Ramayana in the state, to boost religious tourism. Under the initiative, officials are keen to bring holy sites associated with Ramayana and build them for tourists to visit and learn about. “We have some holy sites and temples in the state which are linked with Ramayana. We will develop all of them and bring it under our initiative of Ramayana circuit to boost religious tourism in the state,” state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said. “We have some holy sites and temples in the state which are ... Read more

Flagging off the first helicopter service by Pawan Hans in Uttarakhand under the UDAN-RCS scheme, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the launch of the heli-service will support tourism in the region. Commencement of the new heli services will enhance the aerial connectivity between hilly regions in Uttarakhand and bring down the average travel time to 20-25 minutes. This will also assist the Char Dham Yatra pilgrims. Char Dham is a set of four pilgrimage sites in India comprising Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram. Pawan Hans Ltd will operate thrice-weekly helicopter services on this route. Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is ... Read more

Uttarakhand’s minister of tourism Satpal Maharaj has urged Prahlad Patel, the Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, to release funds for the ongoing tourism projects in the mountain state. Maharaj requested Patel to provide in-principle approval of the ‘Mahabharata Circuit’ concept note. It’s the state’s pet tourism project as it believes the circuit can be a trailblazer. The Union minister was also requested to sanction funds for the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ and ‘Prasad’ schemes. Maharaj informed Patel that 98% of the construction work of the Eco and Adventure Destination in Tehri has already been completed under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. The ... Read more

Uttarakhand has decided to allow tourists from other states provided they bring along a Covid-19 negative medical report taken not more than 72 hours before their arrival. The tourists will not be quarantined on their arrival in the state. However, till further orders, the Char Dham Yatra will remain closed for them as only residents of Uttarakhand are allowed to undertake this pilgrimage in a regulated manner. The State’s Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj said, “We welcome tourists from other states to the Devbhoomi. We hope each tourist will bring the Covid-19 negative test report and enjoy the beautiful ... Read more

The Uttarakhand government is trying to generate more employment opportunities for the youth of the state, by starting an online registration facility under the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Self-Employment Scheme. Under the scheme, the beneficiary can purchase buses/electric buses to operate on state routes and avail 50% subsidy or up to Rs 15 lakhs for the purchase of the bus. This self-employment scheme has been provided to the people of Uttarakhand state and the buses will be operated only on the designated routes of the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation. Along with this, it will also be mandatory that all such ... Read more

The Uttarakhand government will prepare an action plan for the tourism sector, hit badly by the Covid-19 lockdown. Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has instructed officials to prepare an action plan for tourism, via an online meeting over the weekend. Ashwini Lohani, advisor to the Chardham Devasthanam Board and Subhash Goyal, general secretary of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) were present during the meeting. “There is a need to encourage tourism apart from the peak tourist period, especially in places located on the travel route. Suggestions of pilgrims and locals should also be obtained on ... Read more

Hotels in Uttarakhand will not be allowed to take bookings from customers arriving from “high-load” Covid-19 cities, the state government has announced. While issuing guidelines to reopen restaurants, shopping malls and religious places of worship, chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh said guests from cities with less number of cases will have to stay for a minimum of seven days. Officials said that if a person is carrying some infection, there are chances of manifestation within seven days. If people keep coming and going, it will become difficult to track the cases, they added. “Initially when we are starting, we want to ... Read more

Khirsu is an unexplored tourist destination in Uttarakhand. The place is slowly getting attention of the tourist, who are looking for off-beat destinations, away from the crowded popular tourist spots.  Located in the Pauri Garhwal district, Khirsu is situated at a distance of 20 km from the Pauri town. It is a picturesque and quaint place dotted with the oak, deodar trees and apple orchards. This tiny Garhwal town offers a majestic view of the Himalayan ranges. It is a perfect destination for camping and trekking. It is a paradise for all nature lovers as one gets to enjoy the ... Read more

Three new eco-tourism zones on the suburbs of the Corbett Tiger Reserve will be open in January, just a month after the Supreme Court’s approval for night stays at forest rest houses near the Reserve. Recently a division bench of the Uttarakhand High Court adjudged that “No tourist should be permitted to stay overnight in national parks, protected forests and reserve forests in order to protect wildlife.” The HC had also restricted the number of vehicles that entered the Reserve to 100 per day. However, following the plea from the stakeholders of the National Park, the Supreme Court has stayed the ... Read more

In an effort to promote ‘Gotra’ (clan lineage), the Uttarakhand Government plans to to offer ‘gotra tourism’ packages to tourists. According to Hindu culture, ‘gotra’ or clan broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. The progeny of seven sages or saptarshi, Gautama and Bharadvāja, Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni, Vashishtha and Kaśhyapa and Shandilya are declared to be gotras. Announcing the plan a few days ago, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the idea is to encourage visitors to come to the Himalayan state to update their family records, ... Read more

Satpal Maharaj, Tourism and Culture Minister of Uttarakhand, has said that the state is emerging fast as a ‘Tourism State’ in the country and abroad. He was speaking to the delegates of Dehradun chapter of Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) at Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday. The envoy invited the minister to attend the 40th  All India Convention on Public Relations which would be held in Dehradun from December 8 to 10. “The State Government is committed to promoting tourism in Uttarakhand, which is fast emerging as a sought after tourist destination in India and abroad,” said Maharaj to the ... Read more

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the state was in the process of developing 13 new hill stations to give a boost to tourism as older destinations such as Nainital and Mussoorie had reached saturation. The minister was speaking at an investors summit in Dehradun in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “From the point of view of tourism, the 170-year-old Nainital and the around 200-year-old Mussoorie have reached saturation point. We have started working on 13 new destinations in 13 districts. We have also identified the locations and to develop the infrastructure a detailed project planning is being ... Read more

Nature, adventure, culture, yoga, meditation— Uttarakhand has all that it needs to be a complete tourism package, an ideal destination, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the Uttarakhand investors’ summit. “And now, with the introduction of a separate tourism policy by the Uttarakhand government, tourism has gained the status of an industry,” he said. “During the last four years, many efforts have been made to increase connectivity in Uttarakhand. Highway, railway, airway – Uttarakhand is being connected in every way. Chardham all-weather road and Rhishikesh-Karanprayag rail projects have been progressing at a fast pace. Proper connectivity in the state will have ... Read more

Uttarakhand has immense possibilities in yoga and adventure tourism activities, said Union Minister of State for tourism, K J Alphons. “Trekking, river rafting, water sports, paragliding, skiing and bungy jumping are some of the activities with immense potential,” he said while speaking on the sidelines of the Destination Uttarakhand Investors Summit-2018. The minister also said that developing adventure sports activities and yoga in the state will provide employment to the locals. Alphons urged the investors to come forward to invest in the adventure tourism sector and asked the State Government to stand motivated to develop the sector appropriately. “Tourism sector has generated ... Read more