To give fillip to eco-tourism, Himachal readies masterplan, identifies 400 sites

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, June 29

To give a major fillip to eco-tourism, the Forest Department has prepared a master plan identifying 400 sites that will be run through eco-societies across the state.

93 locations in Phase I

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The Forest Department has zeroed down on 93 sites that will be developed as the main sites for adventure eco-tourism activities

It is after an exhaustive exercise that the Eco Tourism Masterplan has been readied. In Phase I, the department has zeroed in on 93 sites that will be developed and promoted as the main sites for adventure eco-tourism activities. With there being a major shift towards adventure tourism and preference for off-beat locations, especially post Covid, the state government is looking at the eco-tourism sector as a major revenue-generating arena.

Besides, it will also help create much-needed employment avenues. Some similar ventures, especially tented accommodation by private players, have become very popular in places like Kinnaur, Kullu and Lahaul Spiti.

Earlier attempts by the previous regimes to promote eco-tourism in a big way failed. In fact, the five sites which had been leased out to private players in 2009 and later renewed in 2014 have also become non-functional. This happened after the directive of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest in October 2021 that recommended community based eco-tourism where forest clearance could be sought collectively only by eco societies. So the lease for the five sites was not renewed.