Shimla: The Government of Himachal Pradesh is planing to chalk out a master plan for development of tourism through public-private partnership (PPP) in the state.

Announcing this at the three-day international conference on backpacker tourism, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that the master plan would help optimise the use of available natural resources while ensuring ecological safeguards and create quality infrastructure to meet the requirements of tourists of different economic levels.

He said that the state would explore possibilities to attract the young, enthusiastic public school students to explore the state and to remain in close contact with the nature, culture, tradition and food habits of rural Himachal.

Dhumal said that backpacker tourism was emerging as a global tourism phenomenon as large number of youth and children packed with rucksacks explore different destinations the world over.

Although low spending, the backpacker tourism requires basic infrastructural facilities, and the state government is looking at creating different areas of the state in a phased manner and would form part of the proposed Tourism Master Plan.

The Chief Minister said that basic infrastructural facilities had been created in the prominent shrines of the State for convenience of the devotees, besides possibilities were also being explored to introduce heli taxi services to facilitate high spending tourists.

He said that it would be a step towards promotion of quality tourism infrastructure and added that the state had about five dozens of helipads which had been tested for helicopter flights.
—iGovernment Bureau