Saturday, 12 November 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Uttarakhand and Nepal hosted a webinar on Friday to discuss investment opportunities for intensifying tourism. Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) additional CEO (Adventure Wing) Ashwini Pundir and additional director Poonam Chand presented detailed information to the officers of Buddha Airlines of Nepal regarding the possibilities for investment in Uttarakhand.
Pundir said, “Uttarakhand is one of the most beautiful northern states of India which mesmerises everyone with its splendid natural landscape. Tourism is the main source of the economy of the state which provides employment and livelihood to lakhs of people. Being a mountain state, we understand the importance of air service. We believe that the air service between Uttarakhand and Nepal will contribute significantly to strengthening the tourism and ties between both countries”.
Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj has already spoken to chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and officials of Buddha Air in this regard. He informed that various theme-based circuits such as spiritual, religious circuit, adventure circuit, culture, heritage, and rural tourism circuits are being developed by the government to enhance tourism in Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand has also been recognised as the most preferred eco-tourism destination under the Swadesh Darshan scheme backed by the Central government, he said.
Chand said, “The State has witnessed a surge in Ease of Doing ranking from 23rd rank in 2015 to 11th rank in 2020. The Tourism department also has a dedicated investment promotion team to provide end-to-end facilitation and guidance to the investors at every stage. The new tourism policy aims to bring its incentives in line with the major states like Gujarat, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The revised tourism policy of the State will attract investors and ensure better employment opportunities for the people,” she said.
During the virtual meet, Nepal’s airline member Yograj also shared his suggestions for investment and promotion of tourism in Uttarakhand and Nepal and also assured action in this regard.
