TOURISM RESOURCES OF NORTHERN INDIA BTTM 201 CONTENTS TOURISM RESOURCES OF NORTHERN INDIA (BTTM 201) S. No. Unit Details Page No. BLOCK 1: HIMACHAL PRADESH AND JAMMU & KASHMIR (1-91) Unit 1 Nature and Adventure Tourism - Trekking, Mountaineering, 2-23 Skiing and Water and Aero-Sports Unit 2 Religious and Cultural Tourism/Special Events/Festivities 24-48 Unit 3 Museums and Monuments 49-69 Unit 4 Flora, Fauna and National Parks 70-91 BLOCK 2: PUNJAB, HARYANA, CHANDIGARH AND DELHI (92-175) Unit 5 Museums, Monuments and Historical Sites 93-120 Unit 6 Parks and Sanctuaries 121-134 Unit 7 Religious Destinations 135-154 Unit 8 Folk Traditions, Festivities and Art and Craft 155-174 BLOCK 3: UTTAR PRADESH, MADYA PRADESH AND CHHATTISGARH (175-265) Unit 9 Monuments, Museums 176-217 Unit 10 Religious/Spiritual Tourism and Pilgrimage 218-234 Unit 11 National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Other Unique Natural 235-250 Heritage Unit 12 Folk Art, Craft and Festivities 251-264 BLOCK 4: RAJASTHAN AND GUJARAT (265-326) Unit 13 Monuments and Museums 266-289 Unit 14 Religious Centres and Sites 290-301 Unit 15 Folk Traditions, Art, Craft and Festivities 302-315 Unit 16 Sea Beaches and Scope for Water Sports and Nature Tourism in 316-326 Gujarat Uttarakhand Open University 1 TOURISM RESOURCES OF NORTHERN INDIA BTTM 201 BLOCK 1: HIMACHAL PRADESH AND JAMMU AND KASHMIR In India, Tourism is one of the most extensive service Industry, contributing 6.23% to the GDP and 8.78% of the total workforce employment. India has been ranked 68 (globally) & 12 (Asia-Pacific) in “The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2011” by the world economic forum. Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir are the two northern states of India which highlight a tremendous potential of tourism. Nestled in between the vast Himalayan Range, Himachal Pradesh & Jammu Kashmir has vast lush green forests, free flowing rivers having rich biodiversity. Truly a travelers paradise, with mighty snow peaks, deep gorges, lush green and golden valleys, flower filled meadows, misty woods, fast flowing icy rivers, glaciers and enchanting lakes. While the picturesque valleys of Srinagar, Kullu, Kinnaur and Kangra are a riot of colours, in marked contrast the barren terrain of ladakh, Lahaul &Spiti have a stunning lunar landscape like beauty. There are also tremendous opportunities for trekking, mountaineering, fishing, river rafting, skiing, para-gliding, ice skating and golf. Apart from the natural beauty, these states have places of tourist known for cultural &pilgrimage tourism. In this block, the emphasis has been given on tourism product of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir with a special emphasis on adventure tourism, religious & cultural tourism, heritage tourism & Nature Based Tourism. This block comprises the following units: Unit- 1 focuses on nature & adventure tourism primarily focusing on trekking, mountaineering, skiing, water & aero sports. Unit – 2 deals with various niche of tourism, primarily culture, religion, fairs, festivals & special events. Unit - 3 deals with the museums & monuments present in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Unit-4 focuses on the rich biodiversity (Both flora & fauna) present in Himachal Pradesh. It also focuses on the major national parks & sanctuaries present in these states. Objectives of the Block After studying the block ,you will be able to know – . Adventure tourism & its types. The types of adventure tourism activities present in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. About the religion, culture, fairs, festivals, special events prevalent in Northern India (Primarily Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir). The forts, palaces, Havellies & museums present in the hilly states give a great glimpse of the Indian culture (especially Heritage Tourism). Highlights a number of National parks & Sanctuaries present in these states. Uttarakhand Open University 2 TOURISM RESOURCES OF NORTHERN INDIA BTTM 201 UNIT 1: NATURE AND ADVENTURE TOURISM- TREKKING, MOUNTAINEERING, SKIING AND WATER AND AERO SPORTS STRUCTURE 1.1 Objectives 1.2 Introduction 1.3 Nature and Adventure Tourism 1.4 Initiatives of Ministry of Tourism 1.5 Types of Adventure Tourism 1.6 Trekking 1.7 Mountaineering 1.8 Skiing 1.9 Water Sports 1.10 Aero Sports 1.11 Check Your Progress 1.12 Summary 1.13 Clues to Answer 1.14 Glossary 1.1 OBJECTIVES After going through the Unit 10 on Nature and Adventure Tourism with a special reference to Himachal Pradesh & Jammu & Kashmir, you would be able to: Understand the adventure tourism. Understand the types of adventure activities in Himachal Pradesh & Jammu & Kashmir. Understand the role of adventure activities in tourism. What is the role of location in adventure tourism? What are Aero based, land based & Air based Adventure tourism? 1.2 INTRODUCTION Unit 1 gives detailed information about adventure tourism in India with special reference on Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and clarifies various questions of students like. Do you know something about adventure tourism? Do you know what equipments are required? Do you know about locations where they occur? Is this a good experience? Do we need any training to do adventure sports? Answers to all these questions would be given in this unit. Uttarakhand Open University 3 TOURISM RESOURCES OF NORTHERN INDIA BTTM 201 Himachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir are known for some unique Adventure activities, due to the mountainous terrain & perennial water sources (rivers, lakes) available in these states. These states are paradise for adrenaline junkies & fans of the Adventure sports. And offer mammoth opportunities for trekking, mountaineering, fishing, river rafting, skiing, para-gliding, ice skating and golf. Gulmarg & Gondola cable car,J& K Kufri ,Himachal Pradesh But before exploring the various sites associated with the different adventure sports in Himachal Pradesh & Jammu Kashmir, it becomes very important to understand them. And also it is important to understand the role of travel agents & tour operators, who play a key role in providing the infrastructure & skilled manpower to the tourists. Nubra Valley (two humped camel rides); Himalayas (bird Watching, trekking, mountaineering, skiing etc.); Indus, Sutlej, Beas (water based Adventure activities); Billing, Gulmarg (hang gliding ,paragliding ) are all the places associated with various adventure activities in Himachal Pradesh & Jammu & Kashmir .These places attract tourists who are not only from India but also from far off foreign destinations. The Adventure Tour operators association of India is an organization of tour operators & travel agents formed in 1994 that operate in adventure travel trade. 1.3 NATURE AND ADVENTURE TOURISM Adventure tourism is a type of niche tourism, generally a outdoor activity, involving exploration to remote areas & include the elements of daring. But physical fitness is a pre-requisite before daring to do such jobs. Adventure tourism is a form of travel in which the perception (and often the reality) of heightened risk creates a special appeal to certain segments of the travel market (Tourism – Principles, Practices, Philosophies – Charles R. Goeldner, J.R. Brent Ritchie and Robert W. McIntosh). Adventure tourism is defined as a travel outside a person’s usual environment for more than 24 hours and not more than one consecutive Uttarakhand Open University 4 TOURISM RESOURCES OF NORTHERN INDIA BTTM 201 year. A trip can be classified as an “adventure”trip, if it involves two of the following elements: 1. Interaction with nature. 2. Interaction with culture. 3. Physical activity. While the core of adventure is a trip which involves all three elements. Adventure trips could include a white –water rafting, hiking, bird watching trip or mountain biking. Adventure attracts tourists of varied types depending upon his area of interest such as- 1. Adventure sports professionals, who pursue adventure activities on full time basis. 2. People who practice adventure sports as part of there day’s physical fitness regime. 3. People who practice the activity as a hobby. 4. Spectators who may want to watch an adventure competition or performance.& may involve in adventure as a pass time. 5. People who are novices & may involve themselves in adventure sports. With the growth of tourism, there has been increased professionalization of the sector; in destinations around the world, adventure tourism companies are striving to improve their practices of business & impact & interaction with the environment. Safety & responsibility are key themes at industry meetings and within companies. As their share over the larger tourism market continues to grow, it is expected that adventure tourism actors will increasingly have more influence in policy making and development. 1.4 INITIATIVES OF MINISTRY OF TOURISM As per the policy for the diversification of tourism product of India, special attention is being given for the development of Adventure Tourism in the country. The Ministry of Tourism has also issued Guidelines for Approval of Adventure Tour Operators, which is a voluntary scheme, open to all bonafide adventure tour operators. The Ministry of Tourism has also formulated a set of guidelines on Safety and Quality Norms for adventure tourism activities covering Land, Air and Water. Central Financial Assistance is being extended to various State Governments/ Union Territory Administration for development of Tourism Infrastructure in destinations including Adventure Tourism destinations The Indian Institute of Skiing & Mountaineering has