India to promote caravan, heliport tourism

Tourism Minister Kumari Selja, who had promised these niche products as part of her 100 day agenda to revive the sector hit by 26/11 and global recession, Wednesday announced the guidelines, which includes financial packages to the states planning to develop and promote them.

While caravan tourism involves the use of a specially equipped vehicle deployed on a tourist circuit and connecting it by road, helipad tourism is aimed at promoting tourism in hilly and remote areas by making helipads at select destinations with tourism potential.

“Considering the diverse tourism products and the multitude of landscapes in India, caravans and caravan parks have a potential to add an exciting new facet to tourism in Incredible India and would attract a wide range of market segments including young people, families, senior citizens and international tourists,” said a statement issued here by the ministry.

India received an estimated 5.37 million foreign tourists last year. The number is far lower than tiny Singapore, which received an estimated 10.1 million tourists in 2008. However, the number of domestic tourists has been rising steadily.

The concept of caravan tourism will be popularised and promoted by developing caravan parks. This will be done through the public private partnership route.

The ministry will approve these parks only after states provide facilities like parking bays, tourist amenities centre, toilets and adequate safety measures. “The caravan parks will have electricity, water and sewerage disposal facilities for the caravans which are parked,” the statement said. Also, these parks will have to take environment friendly steps.

For this, the ministry will provide central assistance up to Rs.50 million per destination to state governments.

It will be done under its scheme of product infrastructure development of destination and circuits for development of caravan parks in government sector, an official said.

About heliport tourism, the ministry said it will extend financial assistance up to Rs.7.5 million to state governments for construction of heliports.

The guidelines specify that the projects for construction of heliports will have to conform to the technical requirements laid down by the Director General of Civil Aviation.

Already, the ministry has approved two projects in Sikkim.