Uttarakhand Tourism Development Master Plan 2007 - 2022
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Government of India Government of Uttarakhand United Nations Development Programme World Tourism Organization Uttarakhand Tourism Development Master Plan 2007 - 2022 Final Report Volume I - Executive Summary April 2008 Uttarakhand Tourism Development Master Plan Executive Summary Table of Contents Volume 1 - Executive Summary 1. Introduction and Background 6 2. Current Tourism Scenario in Uttarakhand 10 3. Tourism Zones 15 4. Strategies 30 5. Implementing Strategies by Actions and Interventions 73 6. Action Plans 101 Volume 2 - Main Report Acknowledgements The following constitutes a list of persons who have contributed towards the formulation of Uttarakhand Tourism Development Master Plan in one or the other way. The consultant team would like to express its appreciation of the valuable contributions made by the many people met along the way in the progression of the master plan work in Delhi, Dehradun and not least during the many field trips in the Garhwal and Kumaon Regions. 1. From Ministry of Tourism, Government of India Dr. S. Banerjee, Secretary Mr. Sanjay Kothari, Additional Director General Mr. Rajesh Talwar, Assistant Director General 2. From State Government of Uttarakhand Hon. Prakash Pant, Minister for Tourism and Religious Works Mr. I. K. Pande, Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary of Tourism Mr. Rakesh Sharma, Principal Secretary of Tourism Ms. Hemlata Dondiyal, Additional Secretary, Tourism Mr. Amarendra Sinha, Secretary Ms. Vibha Puri Das, Principal Secretary & Commissioner, Forest & Rural Development Mrs. Vena Seshechi, Chief Conservator of Forests, Forest Department Mr. S. Ramaswamy, Secretary & Commissioner, Transport Mr. Ahatrughna Singh, Secretary, Power, Housing & Urban Development Mr. L. H. Indrasiri, Director, Information Systems & GIS Mr. D.J.K. Sharma, Additional Director, Watershed Management Directorate Mr. Rajiv Bhartari, Field Director, Corbett Tiger Reserve Mr. Satpal Gandhi, Ornithologist, MIS Department, UTDB Mr. Sagar Chandra, Chief Engineer & Head of Department, Irrigation Department Mr. R. C. Pandey, Principal, Govt. Institute of Hotel Management Mr. A. K. Singh, Joint Director of Tourism, UTDB Mr. A. Dwivedi, Joint Director of Tourism, UTDB April 2008 1 Uttarakhand Tourism Development Master Plan Executive Summary Mr. Vivek Singh Chauhan, Publicity Officer, UTDB Mr. R. C. Bhardwaj, Adventure Tourism Officer, UTDB Mr. S. Raju, Commissioner, Kumaon Division, Nainital Mr. R.K. Sudhanshu, District Magistrate, Nainital Ms. Poonam Chand, Regional Tourist Officer, Delhi Mr. Gambhir Singh Kaintura, Tourist Officer, Rishikesh. Mr. Piyoosh Rautela, Executive Director, Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre Mr. Shubham Pathak, Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre Mr. Bhupendra Bhaisora, Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre 3. From the Armed Forces Brig. Shamsher Singh, Deputy Surveyor General, Survey of India Col. M. M. Masur, Principal, Nehru Institute of Mountaineering 4. From GMVN and KMVN Mr. Avanendra Singh Nayal, Managing Director , GMVN Ltd Mr. Amit Negi, Managing Director , KMVN Ltd Mr. G.N. Pandey, Divisional Manager, Tourism, KMVN, Nainital Mr. J.C. Berri, Deputy Director, Tourism, KMVN, Nainital. 5. From The Private Sector, NGO’s and Semi Governmental Organisations Mr. K. P. Sharma, President, Uttarakhand Association of Travel and Tour Operators Mr. Ajay Kumar, Pant Project Officer, Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd Mr. Rajiv Kuman Garg, Vice President, Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd Mr. Ashvini Parashar, CEO, Uttaranchal Infrastructure Development Co Ltd Mr. Ravi Prakash, Head, Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology Dr. S.C. Bagri, Dean, Tourism Studies, University of Garhwal, Srinagar. Mr. Anil Shastri, Principal, Uttarakhand Hospitality Services Management Institute, Rishikesh Mr. Anurag Bhonsle, Director, Royal College of Tourism & Hotel Management, Nainital. Mr. Ajay Arora, HOD, Tourism, Kumaon University, Nainital. Mr. Vinod Srivastava, Tourism Training Institute, Almora. Ms. Vibha Malhotra, Head – Uttaranchal, State Office, Confederation of Indian Industry Mr. Sunil Kumar Jha, Assistant Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India Mr. S.P. Kochar, CMD / President of Hotel, Madhuban Hotel / Uttarakhand Hotel Association Mr. Dinesh Ch. Sah, President, Nainital Hotel's and Restaurant Mr. Anup Sah , Photographer, Naturalist and Mr. Pankaj Shah, Management Consultant Mr. Sunil Batta, MD, Adknack Advertising Mr. Gaurav Pandey, Oyster Ads, Executive Mr. Ved P Shah, CEO, Alka - the Lake Side Hotel Mr. Mahesh Lal Sah, Ashok Hotel, Savoy Hotel Mr. Sandeep Sahni, Brentwood Hotel Mr. Ravi Rawat, Bugyal Sarai Mr. Parveen Sharma, Chevron Hotels and Resorts Mr. Govind Sing Pangtey, Chuli Trekking Agency - Munsiari Office Mr. Devendra Singh, GM, Country Inn and Suites - Haridwar Mr. Ankur Agarwal, Sales and Marketing Manager, Fort Resorts, Mussoorie Mr. D.C. Vashishth, GM, Hervani, Hilltop, Nainital Mr. Yousuf Zaheer, Director, Himalayan River Runners Mr. Rajeev Tewari, MD, Himalyan Adventure Holidays April 2008 2 Uttarakhand Tourism Development Master Plan Executive Summary Brig M.S. Brar, Senior Vice Present (hotel division), Hotel Arif Castles Mr. Amod Damini Sadan, Hotel Damini Sadan Mr. Atul Shah, Hotel Prashant Mr. R.S. Sethu, Hotel Welcome Park Mr. Sunil Shauhan, Executive Front Office, Jaypee Residency Manor Mr. Mukund Prasad, Director, Leisure hotels Mr. Sanheev Mehta, MD, Mohan's Adventure Mr. Mohammad Shah, Tourism Promoter, Moon Tour and Travel Mr. Rakesh Chugh, Director, President Travel Service Mr. Arvind Bhardwaj, Red Chilli Adventure Sports Pvt Ltd Mr. Misty Dhillon, Director Operations, The Himalayan Outback Mr. Anshu Malik, G, The Manu Maharani, Nainital Commander A.K. Chaudhary, Regional Head, Northern Region, Usha Breco Ltd, Udan Khatela Mr. Dinesh Kathait, Managing Host, Venture Himalayas Mr. Manoj Dev, Resident Manager, Vikram Vintage Inn Mr. Gaurav Rege, Asst. Front Office Manager, Ananda Spa Major. Punwani, Royal Hotel, Nainital. Mr. Himanshu Pande, Himalayan Village Ways Ritish and Minakshi, Camp Forktail Creek, Corbett Tiger Reserve 6. From UNDP Ms. Prema Gera, Programme Advisor 7. From UNWTO Dr. H. Varma, Director, Department of Development Assistance Ms. Vanessa Satur, Project Coordinator, Department of Development Assistance. 8. Consultant Team Mr. Lionel Bécherel, Marketing and Institutional Expert Ms. Rita Brage, Community Based tourism and Socio-Cultural Expert Mr. Ramesh Chandra, Human Resource Development Expert Mr. Stuart Gilchriest, Environmental and Eco – Tourism Expert Dr. G. Raveendran, Market Research and Investment / Economic Expert. Mr. Oliver Trueb, Infrastructure Expert, and Mr. Hans Carl Jacobsen, CTA, Tourism and Physical Planning Expert 9. Project Office Staff Ms. Rupali, Secretary April 2008 3 Uttarakhand Tourism Development Master Plan Executive Summary Preface Travelling from Delhi on the road to Uttarakhand State by train or road either towards the west and the State Capital Dehradun in Garhwal, or eastwards towards the District Capital Nainital in Kumaon, the traveller slowly moves from the level plains of Uttar Pradesh at 200 meters altitude or lower to approximately 640 meter around Dehradun and 700 meter around Haldwani before the steep climb to around the lake area of Nainital. The traveller has reached the first “step” between 500 – 1000 meters altitude of three significant “steps” towards Uttarakhand’s part of the higher Himalayas, the most impressive and important mountain range on the planet with more than 20 majestic peaks whose altitude dwarf Mount Blanc in the Alps between France and Italy in Central Europe. Travel brochures refer to ‘a unique alpine environment’: unique for sure – but alpine seems a bit demeaning and questions whether it would not be much more appropriate to refer to the Alps as a Himalayan Environment? From the perennial snow covered peaks and the many glaciers between them at the third “step” between 4000 – 8000 meter altitude, small streams have flowed over millennia into rushing rivers and life giving arteries, forming and cutting through lush, fertile valleys, surrounded by forest clad mountain and with scattered small villages located along rivers and roads or riding dramatically on terraced slopes and watersheds connected by trails and tracks. This combination of the natural and cultural rural landscape constitutes the second “step” between 1000 – 4000 meters altitude. Eventually all rivers originating in Uttarakhand, small and large, reach the plains of the lowlands and without exception feed into the spiritual backbone of India; the mighty Ganges. From the source at Gaumukh all the way to its outlet this heavenly river gains strength and still today maintains its importance for India as a National Symbol and the majority of its population as a source of spiritual strength. The creation of an attractive, viable and sustainable tourism environment is about utilizing and enhancing the uniqueness of a destination’s natural, historic and cultural environment. Following the above it goes without saying that among the states of India Uttarakhand is unique indeed and contains a large variety of valuable resources each providing excellent opportunities for development and redevelopment of a diverse range of products with facilities and activities to satisfy any traveller’s desire. A few examples of different nature and character come to mind from field trips to the areas: • Gangotri to Gaumukh, the source of the Ganges and beyond: A unique destination