Punjab Tourism Department on Friday decided to formulate a good heritage and tourism policy in the State to give a renewed vigour to the Heritage Tourism with total emphasis on generating employability in the rural areas of the State.
This came out in the detailed discussions which Punjab Governor and Administrator UT Chandigarh V.P.Singh Badnore and Navjot Singh Sidhu, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister, Punjab had with the representatives of IHHA on how tourism and culture can help in creating job avenues especially in the rural areas of the State.
The Departments of Tourism of UT, Chandigarh and Haryana also participated in the meeting.
It was decided in the meeting that IHHA would help the Government in promoting heritage tourism in the State. IHHA has also urged Haryana Government to promote heritage tourism in their respective State.
A presentation was made by the Indian Heritage Hotels Association before the officers of Tourism Department of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to highlight the potential of increasing tourism in the three states.
Supporting the Concept, Sidhu said he was very keen to promote culture and heritage tourism. He assured the Governor that Punjab would be on the forefront of developing heritage tourism and stated that there was a great scope for converting a lot of these heritage properties into destinations, including wedding destination.
“Heritage properties are not only palaces and forts but also homes, havelies, mansions etc. these too could be converted,” said Sidhu. IHHA said most of the heritage properties were in rural areas which could be converted into heritage assets lack infrastructure i.e. power, water, drainage, skills etc. where the government’s support was required. They urged the Government to vacate the occupied heritage building to be converted into museums, hotels as is done all over Europe. It was pointed out that Indus valley Civilization assets needed to be promoted.
Earlier Randhir Vikram Singh, Secretary General, IHHA and Rakesh Mathur, senior Executive Committee Member IHHA elaborated on the role of IHHA in promoting heritage tourism in various states, formulating the heritage tourism policies of various states and gave suggestions for the states of Punjab and Haryana.
Chief Principal Secretary to the Punjab Chief Minister Suresh Kumar agreed to host a IHHA conference in the third week of July, this year in Punjab.