KMVN to use homestays to boost tourism

Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam has decided to initiate steps to increase footfall of tourists in Kumaon region after the tourism industry suffered a setback due to closure of rafting on Kali river in Pithoragah district.

Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam is a state government agency that promotes tourism in the region. Rafting on Kali river was stopped by the Sashastra Seema Bal that conducts patrolling along the India-Nepal border citing security reasons.

The river flows from Nepal and enters India through Pithoragarh. The river stretch between Pithoragarh-Champawat emerged as the paradise for rafters.

KMVN has decided to start homestay in Kuti village which lies en-route to Tibet. Tourists going to Adi Kailash Yatra can avail of the homestay facility.

Homestay is also being developed at Nabhi village and Panchachuli mountain base camp in the Pithoragarh district.

Meanwhile, 40 tourist rest houses run by KMVN are doing good business and six other rest houses not doing well have been given to private companies under the public private partnership (PPP) mode.

Apart from this, the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) would be going ahead with the Vivekananada trail that includes places such as Kakrighat and Lohaghat where Swami Vivekananda had either visited or meditated.

TS Martoliya, general manager of KMVN, said they have made packages for the Vivekananda trail but the problem being encountered is that the tourist coming from southern India and other states want more areas to be included in the package such as those in the Garhwal region.

Martoliya said: “We have good number of tourists from the northern states as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab while the southern states also account for good business.”

Social activist Chandra Shekhar Kargeti, however, said the tourism potential of the Kumaon region was still not exploited properly.

“There are many places which are difficult to reach and they have still not been developed. Rather than making new circuits or trails there is need to improve infrastructure so that people can visit the already famous destinations,” he said.