Himachal Government on Wednesday sought cooperation of Norway and Syria for development of tourism infrastructure and civil aviation sector in the State.
A meeting was held here on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Himachal Chief Secretary Vineet Chawdhry for exposure of Heads of Mission of Norway and Syria to the economic strengths and opportunities in the state. During the meeting, the focus was on exchange of technical knowhow and promoting the specific interests of the state in the respective countries.
The Chief Secretary said, “At present, around two crore tourists visits Himachal every year and it was estimated that around eight to ten lakhs tourists were availing eco-tourism facilities. There was eco-tourism potential of 66.56 lakhs tourists with eco-tourism value of Rs 6,657 crores.”
Himachal Pradesh needs cooperation for investment in development of 31 eco-circuits and development of five eco-tourism hubs with investment of Rs 1000 crore per hub, he said.
The state was already collaborating with Norway in fisheries sector and Indo-Norwegian trout farming project was functional at trout farm Patlikuhl in Kullu district, he added.
He said that more such projects could be setup in other parts of the state with Norwegian collaboration.
There was a vast potential of tourism in Himachal and the state seek cooperation in development of tourism infrastructure, ropeways development, adventure tourism, civil aviation sector and setting up of model tourists’ village, he added.
During the meeting, Indian Ambassador to Norway, Krishan Kumar said that Norway was ahead in renewable energy, tourism, adventure tourism, ski resorts, civil aviation, tunneling and ropeways.
He said that expertise of Norway could be utilized develop these sectors.
Indian Ambassador to Syria, Man Mohan Bhanot said that Syria had strong capability in food processing, agriculture research like mushroom, Ayurvedic products, pharmaceuticals and semi skilled workers.
He added that Himachal could benefit from the opportunities available in these sectors.