Uttarakhand trying to decongest popular spots, promote lesser known ones, says Tourism Secy

Asked about the regulations to ensure safety of tourists following events like the land subsidence in Joshimath, the glacier burst in Nanda Devi in 2021 and the cloudburst in Kedarnath in 2013, Kurve told The Indian Express, “Only tourists going for Char Dham are being regulated, that means they have to register and daily limits on the number of tourists are being set. Our focus is on sustainable tourism to promote and include local population and vernacular architecture, make the state eco-friendly structure wise. We are decongesting the popular tourists spots (Haridwar, Ranikhet, etc) and propagating tourism in the lesser known destinations.”

Kurve said that the issues at Joshimath were being handled by the state’s Disaster Management Authority and the other concerned national and state agencies. However, from the perspevtive of tourism not much has been affected, he said.

Kurve also said that while promoting eco-friendly tourism in the state, they will take care (on the safety) in the new structures that are coming up.

According to him, more than three crore tourists came to Uttarakhand in 2022 of which 12-15 per cent were from Gujarat.

While tourism is the backbone of Uttarakhand, Kurve said, religious tourism is prominent and dominant in the state. “There too, we are trying to decongest the known pilgrim sites and promoting the lesser known ones like Jageshwar dham and Golu Devta (in Almora district),” said the secretary of tourism.

On being asked on how the issue of probable congestion in the lesser known locations will be handled, given the tourists now will not be just bound to the popular ones, Kurve answered that they are promoting the homestays in such locations and including the local participation and promoting the vernacular heritage.

About 4319 homestays have been registered with the state government and in some districts like Pithoragarh have villages full of homestays. “We also conducted a roadshow this (Wednesday) morning for the private investors in the city, as Uttarakhand has a lot of scope for investment as a center of tourism. After this we will also hold such conclaves in Rajkot and Surat as well,” said Kurve.