With the Union Budget on the anvil, the tourism industry in Kangra district is urging the government to improve connectivity in the region, citing a decline in domestic tourists since the opening of Jammu and Kashmir.
Industry stakeholders have submitted a demand charter to BJP MP Rajiv Bharadwaj, outlining their proposals to revive the sector.
The tourism sector supports around 1 lakh people in the Kangra region, making it a vital part of the local economy.
Ashwani Bamba, president of Hotel and Restaurant of Kangra, said, “We have requested the BJP MP from Kangra for the extension of Vande Bharat train from Una to Kangra district to boost tourism and provide better connectivity. There hardly has been any extension of railway services in Himachal.”
He added that the Union Government should also offer a financial grant for the expansion of the Gaggal airport. The work on the four-lane road projects, including the Pathankot-Mandi road and Matour-Shimla road, should be expedited, Bamba said.
Sanjeev Sharma, a hotelier, said, “In the Kangra region, the Union Ministry of surface transport must provide ropeway projects connecting snowline areas in the Dhauladhar mountain ranges and Triund trekking summit.”
The hoteliers have also demanded an express road connectivity between Kangra and Chamba district, potentially creating a new tourist circuit.
Another key demand is the extension of schemes like Bharat Darshan to the Kangra region, and the promotion of the Buddhist tourist circuit in the region, leveraging the presence of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala.
The state government has already announced the Kangra district as the tourism capital of the state.