- Haryana Tourism
Haryana Tourism Corporation Limited is the government-owned official tourism agency of
Haryana inIndia . It began operation with one resort in1966 , and now owns and operates 44 tourist complexes all over the state. These complexes offer lodging, fast-food, and recreational activities. Haryana Tourism also offersadventure tourism and farm tourism. It organizes theSurajkund Crafts Mela (Fair) every year in February.History
Haryana Tourism opened the first resort in 1966. Further expansion was based on the concept of
highway tourism . Several tourist stops were opened along the National Highways crossing through the state to cater to the travellers. At a later stage, tourist complexes were built at district headquarters for the local population. In recent years the focus has shifted to develop cultural spots, golf courses, farm tourism and adventure tourism.Tourist Complexes
Haryana Tourism owns and operates 44 tourist complexes. Most of them are named after local birds, [http://haryanatourism.com/destinations/overview.asp] for example, the
Sandpiper Tourist Complex atRewari and the Baya Tourist Complex atBhiwani . Most tourist complexes offer lodging, some have fast-food restaurants, and some are situated near lakes. Karna Lake nearKarnal , Morni Lake nearSurajkund , Damdam Lake nearSohna and Tilyar Lake nearRohtak are the more famous lakes. Some complexes also have the facility to host conferences.A very famous and peaceful place 10 km from bhiwani on Tosham road [DABAR -BAPORA] .Many sufi's and ayurvedic people make this holy place graeful with their feet.Around 50 acres of land full of wild animals like rabbits, patriots, plenty of peacocks, sanbhar etc. make the environment cheerful. Lot of temples make it very joyful.pecialized services
Haryana Tourism also owns two golf courses. The Aravalli Golf Course near
Faridabad is an 18-hole course, designed byStephen Kay in1988 . The other course, named the Highway Golf Course, is a 9-hole course adjacent to the Karna Lake on National Highway 1. Haryana Tourism also offers adventure tourism, includingwhite water rafting on the riverYamuna nearHathinikund ,parasailing androck climbing . It has also started offering "farm holidays" as a form ofagritourism .urajkund Crafts Mela
Haryana Tourism cohosts the yearly Surajkund Crafts Mela (Fair) highlighting some of the finest
handloom andhandicraft traditions of India. It is held fromFebruary 1 to 15 every year, starting from1987 , nearFaridabad , very close toDelhi . Each year there is a different "theme state" whose handicrafts are more prominently showcased. Folk theatre and music are also featured. A similar Heritage Festival is being organized this year fromOctober 5 to 9 at the Yadvindra Gardens atPinjore .For in-depth Analysis :
SHARMA, CHANCHAL KUMAR [http://www.ssrn.com/rss/authors/2006/1103/704466.rss] 2005. Innovative Tourism Policies of an Indian State(HARYANA) and Their Implications. "TOURISM: An International Interdisciplinary Journal". 53 (1): 67-76. Institute for Tourism, Zagreb; Croatia.
Abstracted in:Social Planning, Policy and Development Abstracts (SOPODA, San Diego, California, USA. C.A.B. International, Oxon, UK.
"Reprinted in":
(a) Innovations in Service Sector: Concepts and Cases. ICFAI Professional Reference Book, 2007.
(b) Emerging Trends in Tourism. ICFAI Professional Reference Book, 2007.
About The Case Study by "Chanchal Kumar Sharma"(Reproduced from ICFAI book: http://www.books.iupindia.org/IB11014510009.htm)
“Tourism Policy Innovations of an Indian State (Haryana) and their Implications” a case study by Chanchal Kumar Sharma; gives description about Haryana and its track record of innovative tourism policies. It was the first state to pioneer highway tourism. It went on to experiment with cultural and pilgrimage tourism, adventure and golf tourism, and then farmhouse tourism. While an emphasis on expanding markets for tourism is a praiseworthy move, devising strategies for prompting and protecting local culture, values, heritage, lifestyles and local natural resources and environments is also critical for sustenance of tourism. The state government’s policy is to focus on the betterment and the upgrading of the tourism infrastructure in the state to encourage private sector participation in its further development. Due to lack of natural resources as per policy destinations would be developed focused on religious, leisure, culture and heritage and rural tourism along with emphasis on highway tourism. The Government has given tourism top priority. Due to this there is likelihood that the eagerness to exploit full tourism potential may get translated into an overenthusiastic and uncontrolled response, bringing some benefits in the short run but making its growth unsuitable in the long run by damaging not only the cultural heritage but also the social and cultural values of the region. Governments should be more responsible and design a mature policy for future so that negative implications do not surface. Maximising the gains while averting the pains should be the motto. The state must adopt an integrated approach for its development.
External links
* [http://haryanatourism.com Official website]
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