HP working on strategies to maintain flow of tourists

Shimla, Nov 11 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh Government is working on strategies to maintain the flow of tourists after more than 67 lakh tourists visited the state last year, a senior tourism official today said.

The main thrust of a hill state like Himachal should be on maintaining the flow of tourists, which was more than the population of the whole state, Tourism Additional Secretary R N Batta told UNI here.

Mr Batta, who recently attended the World Conference on Sustatinable Development of Tourism held in Holland, said it was essential to maintain the flow of tourists to the state that had reached over 67 lakh last year.

Observing that there was a serious need to expanded tourism infrastructure in the state, he said in such a scenario the government should work out strategies to retain the tourists by providing them the best of facilities.

He said the state should prepare strategies to retain tourists which were providing jobs to the Himachal youth, additional revenue to the state, besides helping promoting the state as a tourist destination.

Mr Batta's work on the economics of tourism in the hill states has also been published in a number of international journals all over the world.

Comparing the international tourism scenario with India, he said there was also an urgent need to develop additional channels of transportation, besides road, to boost tourism in the state.

''Almost all tourist destinations abroad have more than three modes of transportation like roads, railways, trams and flights, unlike India where we do not even have good road and rail networks to reach tourist destinations.'' UNI AS HS MQA Mir BD1746