The comprehensive strategies of the State Government will bring the Tourism Sector back on track: Tourism Minister Uttarakhand

Tourism Minister of Uttarakhand Satpal Maharaj addressed the second Travel, Tourism & Hospitality e-Conclave - Resilience & the Road to Recovery, session organised by FICCI and shared his thoughts and experience on the revival of the tourism sector in the post pandemic era. During his virtual address to the audience, Satpal Maharaj highlighted some of the key initiatives taken by the Uttarakhand Government and stressed upon the need to explore innovative opportunities that can cater to the needs of new age travelers.

"The pandemic has impacted the tourism industry around the world and it is imperative for the governments to work together with the respective stakeholders towards the revival of the sector. Like other states, Uttarakhand too suffered  setback due to the lockdown, however, I am happy to share that our state is now slowly heading towards recovery." he said.

Talking about the initiatives, Satpal Maharaj said, "We have worked on the two-pronged strategy in our state. On one hand we have provided a 200 crore relief package to respective stakeholders related to the tourism industry and on the other hand rolled out various schemes to encourage self-employment opportunities for the local youths and provide newer dimensions to the state's  tourism industry."

Giving details about the various infrastructure development projects in the state Satpal Maharaj highlighted the ongoing work at Kedarnath dham, which is also the dream project of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He also highlighted the development of various religious circuits across the state which allows the tourists to further explore the mythological relevance of the state.

He further added, “Upon analysing the behavioral changes of the new age  travellers, the state is focusing its energy towards the development and  promotion of it's offbeat locations, adventure destinations, Homestays and immunity-boosting cuisine etc. The initiative has added new dimensions in the state tourism and is getting positive response from the tourists across all age groups."

Tourism Minister, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Sushri Usha Thakur, Tourism Minister, Government of Odisha, Jyoti Prakash Panigarhi, Tourism Minister, Government of Gujrat, Vasanbhai Ahir, Chairman Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, Atal Shrivastava also graced the session.