Dehradun: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday coined a new winter tourism term, “ghaam tapo paryatan”, as he appealed to the people from across the nation to visit Uttarakhand and enjoy the warmth of sunshine in the Himalayan hill. During his day-long visit to Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi, the Prime Minister made a strong pitch for round-the-year tourism in the state, instead of seasonal focus.Speaking to a gathering at Harsil, enroute Gangotri, the Prime minister said there should be no off-season in the picturesque hill state and this would strengthen its economy in a big way.Praising the state government for its 12-month tourism vision, the Prime Minister stressed the need for a “360-degree approach to tourism” to create employment opportunities for the local youth throughout the year.Tourism should be on in all seasons, there should be no off-season, Mr Modi said.Addressing a rally in Harsil after offering prayers at the village of Mukhwa, the winter abode of Goddess Ganga in Uttarkashi district, Mr Modi said visitors will get the true flavour of Uttarakhand if they come to the state in the winter.”In winters when fog envelops a big part of the country and it is difficult to sight the sun, the state is bathed in sunlight. This can become a special event called ghaam tapo paryatan (soak the sun tourism) in Garhwali dialect. Tourists from every nook and corner must visit Uttarakhand for this,” said the Prime Minister.Calling upon the corporate world to visit the hills during winters, Mr Modi said, “They must become part of winter tourism in Uttarakhand. No place is better than Devbhoomi for meetings, conferences and exhibitions of the corporate world during winters. I will also request the big names in the corporate sector to visit Uttarakhand for their seminars and explore this sector.”The Prime Minister reiterated his earlier appeal to the youth to make Uttarakhand their destination instead of going outside the country. “People can recharge and re-energise through yoga and Ayurveda during winters in Uttarakhand. I will ask youth from the universities, private schools and colleges to prefer Uttarakhand for their winter trips,” he said.Pointing out that the wedding economy in India is worth thousands of crores of rupees, Mr Modi repeated his call to hold marriages in the country. “Some are going abroad for marriages. What’s wrong here? Spend the money here. And what better place than Uttarakhand? I want countrymen to give priority to Uttarakhand as their wedding destination.”The Prime minister further emphasised, “I have similar expectations from the film industry of India. Uttarakhand has been bestowed with the most film-friendly state award. It’s developing all modern amenities and infrastructures and can become a favourite destination of India for shooting films as well.”The Prime Minister asked the Uttarakhand government to conduct a study of various popular winter tourism countries and take down actionable features to hammer out a working plan for the state as well. “Winter tourism is popular in several countries of the world. We can learn many things from these nations. I want the stakeholders, hotels and resorts related to Uttarakhand tourism to study these countries. I ask the Uttarakhand government to work on actionable points that are extracted from this study. We have to encourage our local traditions of music, dance, and cuisine to ensure 360-degree round-the-year tourism,” said Mr Modi.The Prime Minister stated that winters in Uttarakhand are special. “Special rituals are held during this time in several areas. Therefore, the Uttarakhand government’s vision for year-long tourism will help people connect with divine experiences. This will generate employment opportunities for the complete year.”Our double-engine government is jointly working to make Uttarakhand a developed state. Char Dham all-weather road, modern expressways, expansion of railways, air and helicopter services in the state have come up with great speed in the past 10 years,” added Mr Modi.Speaking of the two major ropeway projects cleared for the state by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) headed by him, Mr Modi said the ropeway to Kedarnath will reduce the eight-nine hour journey to just 30 minutes.The CCEA had a few days ago approved two major ropeway projects to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib worth over `6,000 crores. In a bid to promote religious tourism and boost the local economy, the Uttarakhand government has initiated a winter tourism programme this year.Prior to his public meeting, Mr Modi visited nearby Mukhwa village to participate in a special puja at the alternate seat of the deity Gangotri. Following this, he flagged off a bike and trek delegation to Jadaung village along the Indo-China border.
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