Uttarakhand rides on motorsports to attract tourists

For the second consecutive year, the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board is co-organising the Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally Feb 1-4. With the rally, the mountain state has brought motorsport back on its tourism calendar.

Uttarakhand relies on tourism as its economic mainstay, and the focus of the rally is on getting tourists back to its green vales after the devastating floods in June 2013.

Uttarakhand tourism secretary Uma Kant Panwar said motorsport is a valuable addition to the state's adventure portfolio, targeted at mid and high-end tourists.

"The rally, which is organised on international standards, showcases to the world that the roads in the state are great. The rally will pass by some of our most loved tourism hotspots like the world class ski resort at Auli, and Ramnagar, which flanks the Jim Corbett National Wildlife Park," said Panwar.

The Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally will have 35 teams driving cars and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)covering about 1,000 kilometers in the state. Each team will comprise a driver and a navigator.

In order to ensure that there are no traffic disruptions, the rally will follow the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format. This is the sober form of motorsport that allows competitors to go slow in thickly populated areas, and stick to specified speed limits at all times.

The rally will touch some of the most beautiful tourist spots in the state. It will begin from Dehradun Feb 2 and move via Dev Prayag, Karan Prayag, Rudra Prayag and Nand Prayag to the ski resort at Auli. With newly laid smooth roads, the picturesque drive leads to the celebrated snowtops, a delight for skiers and sightseers. On the way is Shivpuri, which draws a large number of domestic and foreign tourists for white water rafting.

On the second day, the rally will come down from Auli to Ramnagar, which flanks the Jim Corbett National Wildlife Park, again a tourist destination. The rally will end at Dehradun on the third day.

Panwar said that the rally marks the resurgence of tourism in the state.

"Uttarakhand has world class holiday destinations for families and youth alike. The roads are good again, and we invite all tourists to enjoy the unique holiday experience here," he said.

The rally is being organised by Himalayan Motorsport. This is the premier Shimla-based motorsport club which organises the Raid De Himalaya, one of the toughest rallies in the world. The rally is being supported by Maruti Suzuki and JK Tyres.

The Himalayan Rally, which used to go through Uttarakhand, was last organised almost 25 years ago.