Biggest state has become the best in terms of tourism: Punjab

The pandemic wiped out nearly two years of travel but economies globally are slowly opening up. Punjab too eagerly awaits its diaspora to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo and Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib – three of the holiest seats in Sikhism.

In the past two years, the state government has renovated the corridor around the Golden Temple and Virasat-e-Khalsa Museum in Anandpur Sahib, and recently inaugurated a theme park in Chamkaur Sahib, dedicated to the martyrdom of two elder sons. known as the location. of Guru Gobind Singh.

Punjab, for places of religious importance, forts and palaces, archaeological and heritage sites and wetlands, attracted 47.3 million domestic and 1.1 million foreign tourists in 2019, according to data from the Union Ministry of Tourism. After the outbreak of Kovid, the numbers fell sharply as the world went indoors.

State government and industry watchers expect international tourists to start pouring in, just like domestic travelers. The state has two international airports at Amritsar and Chandigarh, while Pathankot, Adampur, Ludhiana and Bathinda are on the domestic aviation circuit.

Successive governments have invested in the development of religious tourism. The state has a good network of quality hotels and dining venues, which have helped the wedding industry flourish. Hundreds of NRIs visit Punjab every year to attend or attend lavish weddings.

The government is spending over Rs 50 crore on tourist infrastructure around wetlands and other water bodies. A boat club on the banks of the Sutlej in Ropar has been redeveloped for adventure sports. The heritage buildings of the erstwhile princely states of Patiala, Kapurthala and Sangrur have been restored. The state government has recently acquired the palace of Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan in Malerkotla and is developing it for tourism.