Uttarakhand, the country’s only hilly state in the top 10 list in terms of tourist arrivals, is planning big to improve its ranking. The scenic and heritage-dense Himalayan state, which was carved out from the adjoining north-western districts of Uttar Pradesh nearly 11 years ago, is now considering new stretches for river rafting to promote adventure tourism and looking at support infrastructure through private partnership to make unexplored destinations tourist-friendly.
Given that this would entail several ropeway projects in a big way, the role of private developers is poised to come into deep focus. Currently, Uttarakhand is India’s seventh most preferred tourist state, attracting 4.1 per cent of domestic tourists.
Estimates show Uttarakhand got around 31 million domestic tourists in 2010, up 34 per cent from 23.1 million in the previous year. Foreign tourists to the state rose marginally to 0.13 million from 0.11 million the previous year.
The Deccan’s Andhra Pradesh is on top with around 155.8 million domestic tourists last year. The others in the top 10 list are Uttar Pradesh (144.8 million), Tamil Nadu (111.6 million), Maharashtra (48.5 million), Karnataka (38.2 million), Madhya Pradesh (38.1 million), Uttarakhand (30.9 million), Rajasthan (25.5 million), West Bengal (21.1 million) and Gujarat (18.9 million).
The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board is keen to see the state among the country’s top five places by making it preferred destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. “We are promoting adventure sports, traditional yatra route, eco-tourism, and leisure tourism to achieve the goal,” principal secretary Rakesh Sharma, the board’s CEO, told Business Standard.
On promoting unexplored destinations, the board is talking of developing newer tourist circuits. “We are getting the necessary backing from the state government, which is developing infrastructure to boost tourism through private partnerships,” according to Sharma. New air routes are also being planned to the tough tourist destinations.
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As for marketing campaign, the state tourism board is participating in trade fairs across the globe to attract both foreign and domestic tourists. The idea is to strengthen its relationship with travel and tour operators, who play a significant role in promoting a destination.
In the tourist circles, the state — formed on November 9, 2000 — is known for adventure sports like rafting, skiing and para-gliding; pilgrim spots like Char Dham and the route to Kailash-Mansarovar (in China), besides eco tourism spots like Jim Corbett National Park and Nanda Devi National Park; and leisure destinations such as Nainital and Mussoorie.