Punjab won at the India Today Tourism Awards – 2019, with the iconic spiritual gateway, the Golden Temple at Amritsar being adjudged the winner in Spiritual Category.

Facts :

• Resident Commissioner Punjab Bhawan, New Delhi, Rakhee Gupta Bhandari and Additional Secretary Tourism and Cultural Department Punjab Malwinder Singh Jaggi received the coveted award from Union Minister of State for Tourism K.J. Alphons on behalf of the state government.
• The winning slot went to the Golden Temple at the India Today`s nationwide poll.
• The Golden Temple, a spiritual destination, witnesses daily average visit of 1.25 lakh pilgrims or devotees and tourists from across the globe. Its architect is a symbol of brotherhood, equality and humility, while its four entrances welcome the people of all faiths.
• The Punjab Government was wholeheartedly working to further develop the boarding and lodging facilities, besides strengthening the infrastructure in the holy city of Amritsar so that the visitors and tourists could stay for days as per their convenience.
• The city is known as a center of spiritual and historical tourism with destinations including Golden Temple, Partition museum, Jallianwala Bagh, Punjab state War Heroes Memorial, Attari Border Post, Ram Tirath Temple, Durgiana Temple, Gobindgarh Fort etc.
• The development of the tourism sector was a key thrust area for the state government, which was going all to develop the sector.
• In order to strengthen the infrastructure in the cities known as centers of religion tourism and tourism in general, the state government was developing the tourism sector under various circuits, including the Spiritual Circuit, Sufi Circuit, Historical circuit etc.

Punjab Tourism Circuits :

The state that contributes much to the country's agricultural produce is also an eminent tourism hub. The tourism department has thus devised comprehensive package tours or Punjab Tourist Circuits of a particular sightseeing belt.The various tourist circuits in the state are :

• Amritsar - Ram Tirath - Sarai - Amanat Khan - Wagha Border - Amritsar
• Amritsar - Dera Baba Nanak - Qadian - Kala naur - Gurdaspur-Pathankot
• Amritsar - Tarn Taran - Hari - Ke - Pattan - Goindwal Sahib - Sultanpur Lodhi - Kapurthala(Kanjli lake) - Jalandhar
• Amritsar - Baba Bakala - Kartarpur - Jalandhar
• Chandigarh - Ropar (Rup Nagar)- Anandpur Sahib - Bhakra - Nangal, Ropar - Chandigar
• Ludhiana - Moga - Ferozepur - Bhatinda - Malout - Muktsar - Faridkot
• Patiala-Nabha- Malerkotla - Ludhiana - Fatehgarh Sahib - Chandigarh
• Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur, either back to Jalandhar or Ropar-Chandigarh