Tourism  Overview – At Glance :

Tourist places and activities :

Leisure, adventure, and religious tourism play a prominent role in Uttarakhand's economy, with the Corbett National Park and Tiger Reserve and the nearby hill-stations of Nainital, Mussoorie, Almora, Kausani, Bhimtal and Ranikhet being amongst the most frequented destinations of India. Uttarakhand has many other tourist spots as well where tourists come from all over the world, such as Rishikesh, Hemkund Sahib, Nanakmatta, Auli, Chakrata, Bageshwar, Bhimtal, Kausani, Lansdowne, and many others. The state also contains numerous peaks, mountains, and pristine high altitude lakes of interest to mountaineers, trekkers and outdoors enthusiasts. Other national wonders include the Valley of Flowers, which along with Nanda Devi National Park and Biosphere Reserve, form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The state has always been a destination for mountaineering, hiking and rock climbing in India. A recent development in adventure tourism in the region has been white water rafting and other adventures sports. Ecotourism, agri-tourism, freshwater angling, cultural and rural tourism have also found new grounds in many villages of the state. Uttarakhand is also home to some of the holiest Hindu shrines, and for more than a thousand years, pilgrims have been visiting the region. Gangotri and Yamnotri, the sources of both the Ganges and Yamuna fall in the upper reaches of the state and together with Badrinath and Kedarnath form the ‘Char Dham’, one of Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious pilgrimage circuits. Haridwar, meaning "Gateway to God" is also a prime Hindu destination. Haridwar hosts the Kumbha Mela every twelve years, in which millions of pilgrims take part from all parts of the India and the world. Rishikesh near Haridwar is known as the preeminent yoga centre of India. The state is also known for the typical architecture of most of these temples. The ancient temples at Jageshwar (a complex of 124 temples in a Deodar woodland) are historically the most prominent for their distinct architectural features. Hemkund nested in the Himalayas is a prime pilgrimage centre for the Sikhs. Tibetan Buddhism has also made itself felt with the recent reconstruction of Mindroling Monastery and its Buddha Stupa, southwest of Dehradun. Uttarakhand ranks 8 th in the All India Standings in terms of Tourist Arrivals, which are expected to grow exponentially .

The existing tourism infrastructure in terms of accommodation is managed by multiple agencies, including predominantly by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) and the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), both state owned enterprises that manage tourism in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions of the State.

Issues, Challenges and Priorities :

 Issues and Challenges :

The unplanned growth of places as centres of tourism has had a severe and negativeimpact on the environment. The inflow of tourists puts tremendous pressure on existingresources and infrastructure -- in year 2010 for example, Uttarakhand received as many as 31.1 million tourists – about 300 percent of the population of the state. A range of other issues beset the State’s tourism sector:  

• Many natural areas reflect man-made influences and virtually all urban environments are very poor quality in terms of overall appearance;  
• Pollution/waste management, health/safety, urban design/congestion are serious threats and do little justice to the natural environment;  
• There is almost no interpretation of the natural environment in general; and many  popular tourist spots such as Gangotri  lack conservation management;
•  Limited design quality in development of tourism facilities and lack of efficient  public transportation;
•  Inadequate understanding and participation in tourism by communities and low  environmental awareness among the population, domestic tourists, resort owners and developers;
• Over-development at certain scenic or religious spots, coupled with inadequate  management planning, increase in traffic and pollution and continued poor maintenance of roads.

Priorities :

The Tourism Policy of the State focuses on placing Uttarakhand on the tourism map of the world as one of the leading tourist destinations, and to make Uttarakhand synonymous with tourism; developing the manifold tourism related resources of the state in an eco-friendly manner, with the active participation of the private sector and the local host communities; and developing tourism as a major source of employment and income/revenue generation and as a pivot of the economic and social development in the state. Key priorities include carrying capacity studies, promoting more responsible and equitable tourism, distribution of income from tourism including retention of tourism income in local areas of the State, and promoting low key, community based tourism.

  Existing Initiatives :  Some of the initiatives that the Tourism Department has been undertaking include:  

• Creation of multiple tourist friendly locations to decongest existing tourist locations;
•  Providing appropriate Way Side amenities at all location;  Promoting Adventure Tourism – Water Sports, Trekking, Mountaineering & Skiing – Integrated & Inclusive Tourism;  
• Providing better amenities to Pilgrims & Religious Tourists;  
• Engaging professional consulting companies and individuals for conceptualization,design and development of Tourism Projects;
•  Community Involvement and Capacity Building;
• Solid Waste and Water Management at all sites;  
• Solar Power usage in remote areas for Tourism Infrastructure;
• Solid Waste Management Initiatives
• The Forest Department is also promoting eco-tourism and responsible travel to natural are as to conserve the environment and sustain the well being of local people.

               As is articulated in the State’s Tourism Policy, Uttarakhand is committed to promoting tourism in an eco-friendly manner, with the active participation of the private sector and the local host communities; and developing tourism as a major source of employment and income/revenue generation and as a pivot of the economic and social development in the state. It also commits itself to taking all possible measures to minimise the sector’s ‘footprint’ while building adaptive resilience.