Haryana Tourism

Haryana Tourism Corporation Limited is the government-owned official tourism agency of Haryana in India. It began operation with one resort in 1966, and now owns and operates 44 tourist complexes all over the state. These complexes offer lodging, fast-food, and recreational activities. Haryana Tourism also offers adventure tourism and farm tourism. It organizes the Surajkund 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 at Rewari and the Baya Tourist Complex at Bhiwani. Most tourist complexes offer lodging, some have fast-food restaurants, and some are situated near lakes. Karna Lake near Karnal, Morni Lake near Surajkund, Damdam Lake near Sohna and Tilyar Lake near Rohtak 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 by Stephen Kay in 1988. 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, including white water rafting on the river Yamuna near Hathinikund, parasailing and rock climbing. It has also started offering "farm holidays" as a form of agritourism.

urajkund Crafts Mela

Haryana Tourism cohosts the yearly Surajkund Crafts Mela (Fair) highlighting some of the finest handloom and handicraft traditions of India. It is held from February 1 to 15 every year, starting from 1987, near Faridabad, very close to Delhi. 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 from October 5 to 9 at the Yadvindra Gardens at Pinjore.

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]