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Shimla woos tourists with golf, paragliding and races
Car rallies, golf, paragliding and a marathon - such events are set to spice up the scenic hill state this autumn in an exercise to bring more visitors.
Car rallies, golf, paragliding and a marathon - such events are set to spice up the scenic hill state this autumn in an exercise to bring more visitors.
These events, organised by the Himachal Pradesh tourism department, will soon kick off for three weeks, said top state government officials here Tuesday.
"The festivities start Sep 25, with the Great Himalayan Run (marathon), the first of its kind here," said state Tourism minister G.S. Bali here.
"This time, the weeklong international Raid-de-Himalaya will go up to Srinagar instead of Leh. The motor rally will be flagged off from Shimla Sep 30," he said.
This will be followed by the mountain biking event from Shimla to Manali for another week. A three-day Vintage & Classic rally will simultaneously take place from Delhi to Shimla.
Bali said a centenary gold tournament would take place at the scenic Naldehra golf course on the outskirts of this resort town.
"The festivities will wind up with a pre-world cup paragliding tournament at Bir and Billing in the beautiful Kangra valley," he disclosed.
According to him, the state tourism department would shortly invite bids for a Tourist Helicopter Service to attract high-end tourists to the remote mountainous tribal valley.
The state currently has 56 helipads, and five more are being planned in remote reaches.
Roads are the main means of travel in the state, with railways and air travel virtually non-existent.
For the convenience of budget travellers, the government has decided to monitor roadside eateries, or dhabas, for cleanliness and service.
"The state tourism department has prepared a scheme for the certification and categorization of the dhabas on national and state highways to encourage them to provide good service to customers," said Tarun Sridhar, the director of the state tourism department.
The state-run Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has properties across the hill state and is under pressure by the government and private hotels to attract more business.
Until August, the corporation made a net profit of Rs 36.5 million - 25 percent higher than last year.
