In order to introduce skiing, ropeway and funicular facilities in Uttarakhand, senior officials of Uttarakhand Tourism recently visited Chamonix to understand development of the mountain based adventure sport. The delegation comprised of Satpal Maharaj, Minister of Tourism, Uttarakhand and R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary, Tourism, Uttarakhand met officials from France to undertake development of the mountain based adventure sport.
The meeting took place in Chamonix, France, one of the most popular skiing destinations in the world. The Ministers elaborately presented on the opportunities for creating skiing, ropeway and funicular facilities in Uttarakhand to the Cluster Mountain Group, a group coordinated by the French tourism department and comprising of ski resort operators, consultants, ropeway and adventure park players.
The Minister had productive discussions with the French officials on the development of ski resorts in Uttarakhand including Auli, VediniBugyal, DayaraBugyal and Betulidhar, with the Cluster Mountain Group expressing its willingness in undertaking the project in the state. The Secretary, Tourism, will be in touch with the French Embassy and Government to oversee the fruition of the development of the project.
To further their resolve for developing state of the art facilities in the state, the Minister and the Secretary also visited the Doppelmayr factory, the world’s leading cable car manufacturers, in Wolfurt, Austria, where they were apprised of the latest technologies in ropeways and funicular railways. The tour also included site visits to Stans in Switzerland and Mont Blank ski resort in France to learn about the advanced systems.
The visit is latest in a series of efforts by the State government to promote tourism in the state. The government carried out efforts to improve connectivity funiculars and ropeways to various places of worship located high above the mountains. Moreover, efforts to encourage tourists to explore and experience different aspects of Uttarakhand like adventure, religion, health and local cuisines were also undertaken, as well as promote important tourist destinations.
