Dedicated Budget sought for tourism promotion in Kangra

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, February 13

Stakeholders have urged the government to allocate a dedicated Budget for tourism promotion in the Kangra region and the state. Those associated with the tourism industry said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu had announced that Kangra would be deveoped as the tourism capital of the state but nothing much had happened on the ground.

They added that the footfall of tourists in the Kangra region was decreasing and the government should take steps to promote the valley to attract tourists.

Ashwani Bamba, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Kangra, said that the adjoining states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan were spending crores of rupees on campaign to attract tourists. However, the Tourism Department of Himachal was not even participating in events being organised in the country.

Besides tourism promotion in the area, the government should speed up the pace of infrastructure projects like the expansion of the Gaggal airport and roads, he added.

Sanjay Kumbhkarni, a hotelier, said after the Covid pandemic the tourism industry across the world had taken a hit. “A dip was observed in the number of foreign tourists visiting India and the Kangra valley. Dharamsala can be promoted as a destination for sports activities and a convention centre for corporates,” he added.

Navneet Thakur, another hotelier, said the focus of successive governments in Himachal had been on creating tourism infrastructure. For this, funding was being taken from international financial institutes such as Asian Development Bank (ADB). However, the tourism footfall had not improved and the hotels built by private investors were not seeing good occupancy, he added.

He said that the government and the Tourism Department should concentrate on marketing Himachal and Kangra among tourists by roping in professional agencies.

People associated with the tourism industry said that the situation had not improved since the Covid pandemic. The mid and small hotels, which generally were dependent on the natural flow of tourists, were the worst sufferers.

Sanjeev Gandhi, general secretary of the Smart City Dharamsala Hotel and Restaurant Association, said that they had submitted suggestions to the state government for the promotion of tourism in the region. “I hope that the state government will allocate a budget for tourism promotion in the state, including Kangra,” he added.

The Congress had recently appointed Gandhi as a media coordinator for the Kangra parliamentary constituency.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#Dharamsala #Kangra #Sukhvinder Sukhu