State to explore new eco-tourism circuits

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 8

In a major boost to tourism in Uttarakhand, the state has decided to explore new eco-tourism circuits in the state and speedily take up development of already identified five new eco tourism circuits.                                   

Uttarakhand Eco-tourism Corporation has already started preparing a roadmap for developing these identified five eco-tourism circuits in the state. In the first stage, these circuits would be developed around Forest Rest Houses while ensuring that villages located in and around these circuits are linked to eco-tourism activities, providing villagers an opportunity for their livelihood development and income generation.

Presiding over a meeting of Uttarakhand Eco-tourism Corporation at Lansdowne today, Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat laid stress on taking up speedily development of already five identified tourism circuits in the state.

Dr Harak Singh Rawat said though Uttarakhand was a hub of religious tourism but so far the state had not been able to evolve as an eco-tourism destination. Through Ecotourism Corporation, the state was making sincere efforts in this direction. “Considering natural and scenic beauty of our state there exists huge potential for developing Uttarakhand as a hub of eco-tourism activities,” he said. Harak Singh Rawat said eco-tourism promotion was important from the standpoint of enhancing livelihoods of local communities.

Anup Malik, managing director of Uttarakhand Eco-tourism Corporation and Chief Project Director of JICA-funded Uttarakhand Forest Resource Management Project (UFRMP), made a detailed presentation at the meeting.

He said a total of 30 Forest Rest Houses spread across Pauri, Almora, Champawat, Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Rishikesh, Tehri Garhwal districts were proposed to be taken up under this initiative as part of development of these 5 circuits.