Home stay and rural tourism to get boost: CM

Shimla, Aug 21 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the state government would give boost to the Home-Stay and Rural Tourism here today.

He said the government will consider exemption over procedural registration of such units, change of land use fee, luxury tax, sales tax and commercial charges on water and electricity, restricted to five bed-room households to encourage public participation in promotion of tourism in the state.

Mr Singh, who was presiding over the 2nd Meeting of the Tourism Development Board, also said the state government would adopt liberal attitude towards the rural tourism promotion and provide additional incentives to encourage people to create basic infrastructure to cater to the basic requirements of the tourists visiting rural and remote areas.

The Chief Minister said state government would preparing a Master Development Plan for Kufri as high-end tourist destination extended upto Durgapur with a special focus on sanitation, garbage disposal system, type of construction to be carried out for tourism activities and develop Craignano as alternate tourist destination by creating the basic amenities for the visitors to the area.

He said efforts would be made to re-locate the pony riders at suitable places to ensure that their earnings were not hampered and the places were also maintained clean.

Mr Singh said the Executive Committee of the Board would be appointing consultants to undertake survey and offer the projects which included Ski Resort-cum-Rope-way at Chanshal, Ski Resort-cum-Rope way at Bashal, Rope way from Dharamshala to Triund, Rope way to Bijli Mahadev, Rope way from Manali to Rohtang, Golf Course and Resort at Baddi, Bara Gaon, near Manali, Health Resort at Shatinari etc with a view to boost tourism activities in these areas.

Other possible areas would also be explored to create quality tourism infrastructure in the state, he added.

UNI