To promote India including Assam and the other North Eastern States as a year-round destination The Ministry of Tourism has identified Adventure Tourism, Eco-Tourism and Sustainable Tourism as some of the Niche Tourism Products and to attract tourists with a specific interest for ensuring repeat visits for the unique products vis-à-vis competing destinations. In addition, the adequate focus is also being accorded for the development of religious and pilgrim tourism.
Ministry of Tourism under its flagship schemes of Swadesh Darshan and National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) is giving due emphasis for the development of tourism infrastructure and facilities. Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, 15 themes have been identified for developing theme based circuits. These themes include Buddhist Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Krishna Circuit, North-East Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Sufi Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit, Tribal Circuit, and Wildlife Circuit.
Under the PRASHAD Scheme, 41 religious cities/sites in 25 States have been identified for development which is Amaravati and Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Kamakhya (Assam), Parasuram Kund (Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh), Patna and Gaya (Bihar), Balmeshwari Devi Temple (Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh), Dwarka and Somnath (Gujarat), Gurudwara Nada Saheb (Panchkula, Haryana), Maa Chintpurni (Una, Himachal Pradesh), Hazratbal and Katra (Jammu & Kashmir), Deogarh and Parasnath (Jharkhand), Chamundeshwari Devi (Mysuru, Karnataka), Guruvayoor, St. Thomas International Shrine (Malayattoor) and Cheraman Juma Mosque (Thrissur, Kerala), Omkareshwar and Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh), Babedpara, West Jaintia Hills and Sohra (Meghalaya), Aizwal (Mizoram), Kohima and Mokokchung Districts (Nagaland), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra), Puri (Odisha), Amritsar (Punjab), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Kanchipuram and Vellankani (Tamil Nadu), Tripura Sundari (Tripura), Varanasi and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri (Uttarakhand) and Belur (West Bengal).
The Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD Schemes Guidelines have provision for developing nature and environment-friendly destinations for both global and domestic tourists. The Ministry has made it mandatory for the State Governments/UT Administrations to prepare the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) involving eco-tourism aspects viz. use of clean/renewable energy; eco-friendly materials and equipment, recycling & reuse while submitting proposals under the PRASHAD and the Swadesh Darshan Schemes.
TourismIndia, India’s Travel & Tourism Magazine.
