Festivities must go on to facilitate the revival of the tourism sector in Uttarakhand post-calamity, said Satpal Maharaj, MP from Garhwal, while speaking on the occasion of World Tourism Day here on Friday.
"Uttarakhand is known for its cultural activities. Though we had to experience a huge tragedy in some parts of the state due to natural disaster this year, in larger interests of the people of this State, we have to mark our traditional rituals and festivities which are part of tourism in the State," said Maharaj. "What kind of message we are going to send to outside \\by not celebrating our traditional as well as cultural festivalsIJ The matter of fact is most of our tourism destinations like Nainital, Mussoorie to name a few are safe. There are no kind of problems there. Therefore, to revive the tourism sector which plays a crucial role in Uttarakhand's economy, is a must for all of us," added the senior Congress leader and MP from Garhwal.
More so, he added, the matter of fact is that unlike other sectors the fund which is allocated for promotion of cultural activities, can't be diverted to other areas. "Therefore, in the larger interests of the State, we must work to promote tourism in the State. In the meanwhile, he also stressed on the need to introduce hotel rating system in Uttarakhand. "Once the hotels are put in different categories, it will also help fix the tariff of different hotels according to their grades," he said.
The World Tourism Day with the theme 'Tourism and Water: Protecting Our Common Future' was organised by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council (UTDC) in association with the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN). Among others senior officials of the UTDC, KMVN and representatives from the hotels and tour and travel bodies were also present.