Aiming at development of Himalayan circuit, the government today said that it plans to launch a scheme that will allow tourists aerial view of the iconic mountain region.
'Himalayan Darshan' can be started where the whole mountain region can be connected and an aerial view of the Himalayas can be planned to attract the tourists to visit these places, Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said.
He was speaking during consultations with the Members of Parliament from J&K, Himachal and Uttarakhand here to discuss modalities for developing the 'Himalayan Circuit'.
The 'Himalayan Circuit' has been identified under the new 'Swadesh Darshan Scheme' for promoting tourism by the ministry.
Sharma said that the target is to enhance India's share in global tourism to 1 per cent from the current level of about 0.64 per cent.
Among those who participated in the meeting include Anurag Singh Thakur (MP, Hamirpur), Virender Kashyap (MP, Shimla), Mehbooba Mufti (MP, Anantnag), Thupstan Chhewang (MP, Ladakh), Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (MP, Hardwar), Bhagat Singh Koshyari (MP, Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar), Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah (MP, Tehri Garhwal) among others.
Sharma said that 73 per cent of the Himalayas lie within Indian territory and India can utilise this unique advantage to boost the growth of tourism in this circuit.
He said that tourism contributes foreign exchange in a big way to the exchequer of India and it adds 6.8 per cent to the GDP share in India.
He said that Rs 120 crore have been allocated for the development of the 'Himalayan circuit' and the amount can be effectively utilised for drawing up a roadmap which will be decided after consultations with the MPs concerned.
The MPs shared their views and identified the areas where the Ministry of Tourism should look into seriously and find ways to improve them in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways.
Mufti said the state of Jammu and Kashmir wants to turn around its economy and tourism appears to be the best way of doing it.
She said growth of tourism will help to generate income and employment for the local people and also help in diversification.
Mufti highlighted the need for starting additional flights from Srinagar Airport to facilitate more inflow of tourists as well as connecting Jammu with more direct trains.
The MPs from other places like Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh also demanded more air connectivity and development of new airports in their regions.
MPs from Uttarakhand requested for a mono-rail to Haridwar/Rishikesh to meet the growing menace of traffic to these areas. They also asked for developing more airports like Uttarkashi.
Addressing the concerns of MPs, Sharma said that the government is determined to restore the "lost glory of J&K" as a prime tourist destination.
"Tourism will be used to fight terrorism," he said and assured the MPs that there will be no administrative or procedural roadblocks to the development of tourism in the states.
