Chandigarh: The Haryana Government is opening up new avenues for private investment in the tourism sector with the aim of establishing the state among the country’s leading tourist destinations. As part of this effort, work is underway to develop selected tourist destinations and complexes in the state on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Haryana Minister for Cooperation, Prisons, Tourism, Heritage and Elections, Dr. Arvind Kumar Sharma said this while addressing participants at the ‘ASSOCHAM SWARA National Tourism Conference’ held in New Delhi on Wednesday.
He said that tourism development cannot come at the cost of nature. “We have to create a model in which facilities and tourist numbers increase, while greenery, natural resources and local identity are also protected.”
This is providing farmers with additional sources of income and increasing opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship for rural youth at the local level. He said that the economic benefits generated through tourism should not remain confined to major tourist centres but should reach villages and local businesses as well. Rural tourism is being promoted with this approach.
He said that the government wants a tourism model that brings investment, promotes innovation, creates employment and protects the environment. The government will take Haryana tourism forward with a balance between ‘Green as well as Growth’.