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Punjab is rapidly transforming into a farm tourism hub across the country as the Farm Tourism Policy has been reshaping the tourism in the state, state Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Tarunpreet Singh Sond said on Wednesday.
He made the remarks while addressing the Punjab Day celebrations at the India Indternational Trade Fair (IITF) which was organised at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. He also highlighted the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led government's initiatives to promote tourism and significant steps taken for the overall development to make the state "Rangla Punjab". He said that farm tourism has been proving beneficial in strengthening the local economy and increasing farmers' income, thereby creating new opportunities for tourism. "Invest Punjab portal ranked first among 28 states. The Punjab state has approximately 58,000 registered MSMEs, which is also highest in the country. Besides promoting religious and farm tourism, he said that Punjab Government is mulling to set up a film city to tap the entertainment potential of the state as the state has a lot to offer geographically, culturally and historically, as it is home to many sacred sites, martyrs' villages, water bodies and untouched tourist destinations. To further boost tourism in the state, the Punjab Government has also launched the Water & Adventure Tourism Policy 2023, which aims to promote river rafting, boating, water sports and other water-based tourism activities, he added. An official release said that Sond, along with Secretary Tourism and Culture Affairs Malwinder Singh Jaggi and Director Ms Amrit Singh, visited the Punjab Pavilion, where stalls by various departments and institutes including Punjab Tourism, Markfed, Verka, PSIEC-Invest Punjab, PUDA, PEDA, PIDB, PSAMB, Punjab Agriculture University Ludhiana were set up to showcase the state's rich culture, heritage, industrial growth, agricultural innovations and handicraft as well as related products and traditional handicrafts and delectable cuisine. The Tourism Minister also inaugurated the cultural evening. Renowned singer Lakhwinder Wadali captivated the audience with his soulful Sufi music, delivering a mesmerising performance that left everyone enchanted. Congratulating the team of the Tourism department for showcasing the best of Punjab's tourism and rich culture and heritage during IITF, he also invited the hotel and other industries to invest in Punjab to experience the warm hospitality of the state. Investment in Punjab will be a "complete package of farm tourism, adventure tourism, rural tourism and cultural tourism in the predominantly agricultural Punjab as the state government has created a conducive and investment friendly environment". (ANI)
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