BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 9 AUGUST 2023:
For the first time to promote tourism, the tourism department is organising a Punjab Travel Mart 2023 and Punjab Tourism Investors meet from 11 to 13 September in SAS Nagar in Mohali, informs Mr.Harsh Mittal, Marketing Manager of Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board .
Punjab Tourism and cultural affairs minister, Smt. Anmol Gagan Maan has announced at Chandigarh about holding for the first time in the history of the state , the Punjab Tourism Summit 2023.
“ Under the leadership of CM Bhagat Mann we are trying to promote Punjab as the best tourism destination in the country and taking many steps to boost tourism in the state,”said Smt. Anmol Gagan Mann.
Yesterday, she held a high level meeting in Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh in which Principal Secretary of Tourism and culture, Rakhi Gupta Bhandari, CEO of Investment Promotion, K.K.Yadav, Director of Tourism and Cultural affairs, Amrit Singh etc were present. It has been decided that besides the stakeholders even the NRI’s will also be invited in the much hyped upcoming Punjab Tourism Summit.
In an exclusive interview to The Travel and Tourism Times at the sidelines of TTF Kolkata 2023, Mr. Harsh Mittal said that Punjab’s position in tourism has improved significantly in the recent past. It has positioned itself as one of the emerging tourist attractions in India offering rich cultural and natural heritage experiences. As per the government of India report in the year 2021, Punjab has registered the highest number of foreign tourist arrivals in India.
“The Punjab Government has made huge investments in developing infrastructure, marketing & publicity of tourist sites, monuments, developing tourism products, historical and religious buildings and hotel industry. From an economic point of view at this time, the tourism sector is an important source of income, employment and regional development. It acts as a key economic driver to boost the economy,” added Mr. Harsh Mittal.
For this, the tourism sector needs promotion on a commercial scale. That is why Punjab Tourism is now participating in various trade and travel fairs in Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi etc. Even Tourism Roadshows are also organised.
“ Unexplored Punjab offers many things to the tourists and the tourism is even beyond Amritsar. Amritsat attracts the most tourists because of the Golden Temple, but there are several other places which are also tourism destinations. There are two gateways to Punjab, Chandigarh and Amritsar, and both have international airports. Tourists can enter from one gateway and exit from the other gateway,” explains Mr. Harsh Mittal.
Punjab Tourism is now promoting the other tourism destinations such as Patiala’s Shri Anandpur Sahib, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, NawanShahr ( the birthplace of Sahid Bhagat Singh) as tourism hubs.
Heritage, religious, rural, art and culture, crafts, culinary tourism is also being promoted to boost tourism in the state.
Tourists can make a visit to the famous shoe cluster in Patiala, which makes Parandi Jutti. Whereas Fazilka is famous for its Punjabi sweet dish called Tosha.
There are 18 to 20 properties of Punjab Tourism which are located in several tourism destinations throughout the state and are operated in PPP Mode. All these properties have restaurants.
October to February is the best time to visit Punjab, where you will witness the blue skies and green land.
In recent times, one restaurant named Shahi Qila has been the latest tourist attraction . It boasts as the first and lans restaurant of India towards the Pakistan border.
ABOUT PUNJAB:
Deriving its name from five full-bodied rivers–Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Jhelum, and Chenab–which flow through its vast plains, Punjab is representative of abundant things. Located on the north-western edge of India, it is one of the smaller albeit prosperous states of the nation, and home to a lively, hospitable and dynamic people. Widely acknowledged as the cradle of civilization, it is a land of ethnic and religious diversity, having borne and shaped a number of religious movements that include Sikhism, Buddhism and Sufism. The Punjabi language, too, finds its origin in the Indo-European linguistic family that includes Persian and Latin. Naturally replete with fertile soils and rich water sources, it is primarily an agricultural state, and has continually and infinitely contributed towards the food security of the Indian Republic.
Punjab’s many festivals–Teej, Lohri, Basant, and Baisakhi, to name some–are celebrations that mirror the farming ethos. Indeed, Bhangra, the traditional dance of Punjab revolves around, and replicates a farmer’s daily life. Historically, Punjab has played host to a number of ethnicities, including the Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Afghans and Mongols, thus bestowed with a rich tangible heritage. Reflecting this history are the countless sites that dot the state: impressive forts & palaces, ancient monuments, architectural marvels and many a battlefield.
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