Union tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma assured that the Union Government will work together with the State Government to develop tourism in Uttarakhand. The minister said this at the formal unveiling of the foundation stone for the Institute of Hotel Management, Ramnagar in the presence of chief minister Harish Rawat and others.
The chief minister and union minister were unable to fly as planned by helicopter to Ramnagar for the unveiling programme due to heavy rainfall. A formal programme was then held at the Bijapur guest house in Dehradun. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that IHM Ramnagar will benefit not only the people in Uttarakhand as it will prove beneficial for the citizens of the nation. A bus station and bye-pass are also slated to be established in Ramnagar in addition to which the government order for establishment of a college here will also be issued soon. Rawat said, “The service sector is developing at a brisk pace in Uttarakhand with the hospitality sector also playing a major role in it. We have been successful in broadcasting the message of Uttarakhand being safe for visitors from India and abroad. The number of people visiting the State for the Char Dham Yatra this year has set an all-time record. About three crore people arrived in Uttarakhand for the Kanwad Yatra with the visitors also travelling to areas which they didn’t visit in general in the past. The State Government is developing proportionately small circuits to exploit tourism potential. Along with facilities for aero-sports, water sports and eco-tourism, other features like butterfly park and bird park are also being developed in the state. The State is also developing new attractions from the tourism point of view with an integrated approach being followed also for developing smaller tourism circuits,” averred the chief minister.
Speaking on the occasion, the union tourism minister assured that the Union Government will cooperate in every way with the State and work together to develop tourism in the state. The Uttarakhand tourism minister Dinesh Dhanai and tourism secretary Shailesh Bagauli were also among those present on the occasion.