Punjab to rope in pvt sector for boosting tourism

In a bid to make Punjab a hub for tourism, the state government is planning to encourage the private sector to develop infrastructure for tourism in the state while it plays the role of a facilitator and regulator. The state government will give priority to religious, pilgrimage and rural tourism.

Elaborating on plans to boost tourism in the state, Punjab Tourism Minister Jagmohan Singh Kang said more than 70 lakh Punjabis residing in other countries come to visit places of religious and historical importance like the Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir, Ram Tirath, Maghi, Heritage Festival Patiala, Kapurthala and Jor Mela Fatehgarh Sahib.

"To increase the inflow of tourists, we are planning to hold an annual mega festival on the occasion of Lohri to depict the rich culture and heritage of the state.

"We are planning to print more pamphlets, booklets and brochures on different tourist places and make them available to all travel agents, hotels, tourist information centres, airports and railway stations. There is a shortage of funds with government agencies. All this is possible only through public-private partnership," Kang added.

"The tourism department will also be talking to neighbouring states to promote the whole of the northern region, comprising around eight states, as a 'Freedom Circuit'. We have also urged the Centre to highlight Punjab in its Incredible India campaign. Union Tourism Minister Ambika Soni has assured all possible help," said Satish Chandra, secretary, tourism, Punjab.

The state is also planning to adopt villages for promoting rural tourism that would provide authentic Indian experience and insight into the unique lifestyle of the rural people.

Dr Gulshan Sharma, Executive Director, ITFT said the government needed to build a brand for Punjab, provide attractive incentives to investors and entrepreneurs for developing tourism infrastructure related projects, developing quality human resource, tapping health and herbal tourism potential, working out short-term and long-term marketing strategies and inter-state tourism packages.

Sharma has submitted a paper titled "Innovative Strategies for Integrated Tourism Development in Punjab" to the Punjab government.

The paper highlights the need to select 5-6 places for overall tourism promotion, participation in regional, national and international events, having an information counter for NRIs and tapping cinematic tourism for Punjab besides creating an awareness of the socio-economic benefits of tourism.

It also puts emphasis on involving local communities in planning and implementation of tourism activities. It also suggests that the Punjab tourism department should hold an interaction with the travel trade industry once in three months.