Summers in India is usually seen
as a dull season for tourists, with most tourist destinations in
India offering little to the outside
world, hotels lowering down the tariffs, and guides almost jobless. In a
competitive global tourism market, it’s essential to make use of all possible
strengths a country possess to develop its tourism sector.
Recently, Ministry of Tourism (MOT) officially launched the campaign - '777 days of Incredible
Indian Himalayas' on World
Tourism Day which falls on 27th September, 2013. The Campaign had been designed to spread
awareness around the globe that 73 per cent of the Himalayan range lies
in India. It is an endeavor of the Ministry of Tourism to make the
Indian Himalayas into a 365-day destination for the travelers.
Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi
also launched two new promotional films -- 'Greatest Show on Earth' and 'Life
Altering Journey on Himalayas' -- along with a map of the Himalayas.
In the winters, Himalayas offer a
great variety of adventure sports such as skiing. Tourists can also enjoy the
scenic beauty of the snow-clad Himalayas.
In summers, tourists can enjoy
expeditions in the Himalayas, White Water Rafting and also adventure sports
such as Mountain Trekking and Skiing.
Tourists can enjoy the scenic
beauty of the attractive flora and fauna all around them, exploring
bio-diversity hotspots during spring, and undertake variety of leisure and
cultural activities during autumn.
The Himalayas are also of great
relevance for the Buddhist tourist on account of peace and serenity they offer.
The Himalayas offer hues and colours of variety of shades giving a very unique
experience.
Till now, this unique product has
not been promoted in the national and international markets.
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| Pic : The Crow's Lake Sikkim |
The launch also included a
discussion on how to brand, promote and market the Indian Himalayas, a
presentation by the six Himalayan states -- Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal
Pradesh -- and on how to develop the Himalayas as a tourist
destination amongst both domestic and the foreign travelers.
Adventure Tour Operators
Association of India (ATOAI) is collaborating with the Ministry in the campaign
and has designed special adventure programmes for 777 days starting from
September 27. The activities planned over the next two year period will
be spread over the six states that fall in this region and can avail direct
benefit from the programme. During these 777 days, the MOT will bear 50% of the
peak fee, charged by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation. The Uttarakhand
Government also decided to waive the peak royalties for climbing expeditions.
This, in effect ensures that for the next two years (777 days) climbers could
enjoy expeditions in India with minimal peak royalties.
Cheers to our MOT for this
initiative... Its better late than never. I think it would prove to be a major
step towards establishing India as a round-the-year-destination.
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