Haryana Tourism in an all new avtaar

Armed with a new tourism policy, vision and enthusiasm, Haryana Tourism is ready to welcome tourists like never before. Jyoti Koul finds out that the state famous for farm tourism is set to promote itself in an all new avatar

Kiran Choudhury Minister of tourism Haryana

Always known to be associated with farm tourism and then highway tourism, Haryana has much more to offer. There has been a new awakening at the state level wherein for first time in its history the state announced a futuristic tourism policy aiming to harness the vast untapped potential of its tourism sector.

Further, in a historic move, Haryana government has also accorded industry status to the tourism industry as per the industry policy of 2005. In an exclusive with Express TravelWorld, Kiran Choudhury, minister of tourism, Haryana said, "We are getting aggressive all over again with a new focus and new direction. This was on my priority list to announce a strong policy and release it within a certain time frame in order to get going. I believe that a policy must have a focused approach for the development of tourism. Haryana in the past has taken many innovative initiatives to promote its tourism but keeping in view the vast potential and the changing preference of the global traveller, the state was in a dire need of a tourism policy to harness its potential. Now that a policy is in place, Haryana tourism will witness development like never before. The policy is focusing on many new and untapped areas." With the industry status, the industry will get all the sops and incentives like any other industry. It is only now that it has been able to put its tourism in a proper perspective. To implement the tourism policy in its letter and spirit, it has been provided to set up by notification a Tourism Development Council under the chairmanship of chief minister, consisting of finance minister, tourism minister, ministers and secretaries of other related departments, two representative of hotel and travel trade and two experts in the field of tourism for comprehensive planned development of the state as a key tourist destination.

Farm tourism concept at the Surjivan Resort, Haryana

According to Keshni Anand Arora, secretary tourism, government of Haryana, a major trademark of the policy - 2008 is the land lease policy regarding major tourism projects. "We believe that availability of land plays a critical role in the development of tourism projects. Another interesting feature of the policy is the marketing strategy, which would be planned in due course of time aiming at Europe, SAARC countries and NRIs going to Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. With these features we are expecting a five-fold increase in the tourist arrivals," she said. Currently the state is receiving over five lakh tourists on a yearly basis.

Haryana Panorama

Yadavindra Gardens at Pinjore

Golf, farmhouse holidays and cultural tourism are among the niche markets Haryana is hoping to cultivate. Haryana is a historic and prosperous region of green fields and small resorts; ideal for a relaxing day trip from Delhi - or a longer break. Farm tourism is a public-private partnership initiative which currently involves 23 farmhouses close to Delhi. Providing clean, modern accommodation and home-cooked food, visitors are offered the hands-on experience of daily life on a working farm including harvesting, bee-keeping and milking cows. The Surjivan Farm, Golden Dunes Retreat, Anugrah Vatika, Golden Creeper, Botanix Nature Resort and many others offer an experience of rich regional cuisine, local flora and fauna and vibrant life style of people of Haryana. The state has also laid emphasis on building its tourism infrastructure and the concept of developing special economic zones have been introduced for overall economic development of the state. To attract, encourage and enable foreign investment, rules and regulations related to the same have also been simplified. Investment opportunities with emphasis on leasing government land on long term basis have been envisaged. "Haryana has also been pioneering the concept of highway tourism. Haryana tourism is also keen on projecting its lakeside retreats that include Sultanpur Lake and Karna Lake. During winter, the Sultanpur Lake witnesses the arrival of migratory birds from Siberia and particularly popular with the bird-watchers. Further, Kurukshetra lying on North India circuit is now being promoted as an international tourist destination. The state also aims to highlight Sufi culture and promote both Sikh and Sufi pilgrim tourism.

Other places of interest on the north India circuit include the historic city of Panipat which is also well-known for its handloom products; the Morni Hills where one can find the opportunity for boating, mountain bike riding, nature walks and mountaineering; and the Yadavindra Gardens at Pinjore.