Chandigarh to be developed as convention hub for north

The Union Ministry of Tourism is mulling over making Chandigarh a convention hub for the north. Union Minister of Tourism, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja said Chandigarh could be developed to attract business tourists as is done in Shanghai. The locational advantage of the city can benefit the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana as business travellers can explore tourists spots in the vicinity.

She added that the Centre has released over Rs 22 crore in the 11th five-year plan for tourism promotion in Chandigarh and more can be allocated if viable projects are proposed.

The Union territory of Chandigarh, which is already dotted with gardens and green belts, will now have theme parks such as the Garden of Palms, Garden of Conifers and Valley of Animals.

According to officials in the tourism department, development of a Garden ofSpring, Japanese Garden and a Convention centre were also in the pipeline. The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a unique project for promotion of night tourism. World-class illumination technology will be employed for projecting the unique architecture of monuments and buildings in Chandigarh. Night tourism will include conducted tours to the buildings on eco friendly buses, food fairs and select stoppages at chosen points will be packaged into the tour to make the ride an experience in itself. An amount of Rs. 4.98 crore has been earmarked for this venture.

According to the department of tourism, the number of tourists arrival in the city is consistently on the increase. While in the year 2005 domestic arrivals stood at more than 600,000 and foreign tourist arrivals were above 23,000, in 2008 the figures touched more than 900,000 and 34,000 respectively.