Sikkim has been declared as best state in the country in implementation of rural tourism projects by the Union Ministry of Tourism.
Union Minister for Human Resource Development Dr.Shashi Tharoor presented the National Tourism Award 2012-13 to Sikkim's Tourism Minister Bhim Dhungel at a function at Vigyan Bhawan here today.
According to the Union Tourism Ministry, Sikkim is the perfect destination to experience warm hospitality,rich culture and scenic natural beauty.
Dhungel said Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has launched an ambitious Rs.140 crore project for developing various tourism convenience facilities,view points,halting points, conferences,retiring units and other infrastructural facilities project in the state.
He said Chamling has also sanctioned Rs.50 crores for setting up facilitation centres in Gangtok and various other important tourist destinations of the state.
He said that a total 20 facilitation centres will be set up in the state for strengthening tourism facilities, and added that capacity building, training, marketing,manpower and human resources will be strengthened under these facilitation centres.
He said that the main facilitation centre will be set up in Gangtok at a total cost of Rs.40 crores, while the other facilitation centres in small towns and major tourist destinations will be constructed at a a cost of Rs.50 lakh each.
He said that all facilitation centres will start to function by the year 2015.
Dhungel also announced that at present around 80,000 tourists visit rural tourist destinations in the state annually, and added that the target has been fixed to attract 1.50 lakh tourists to these destinations in the next five years.
He informed that so far 500 home stay units have been registered in the state which are providing direct employment to around 1500 persons, and added that the target has been fixed to double the home stay units and employment opportunities to 3000 persons in the next five years.
He said that the state government is providing various incentives like electricity on domestic rates to these home stay units to make them economically viable and create additional beds and modern facilities for the visiting tourists in rural areas.
Dhungel said the state tourism department has tied up with Kerala, Maharastra, Gujrat, Goa and Karnataka Tourism for ensuring the maximum tourist flow from these states to Sikkim, and added that the state tourism department is also negotiating with Nepal and Bhutan Tourism to ensure maximum international tourism flow from these areas to Sikkim.
Sikkim Tourism Secretary C.Zangpo, Sanjay Singh, DE(P), Shova Lama, AD, Binita Rai, PRO Tourism, and Mr Vijay Thapa were part of the official delegation that attended the function.
