Lucknow: Amid the current phase of global uncertainties and following the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a high-level meeting was held at the Tourism Directorate on Wednesday. During the meeting,
Uttar Pradesh Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh described the present global situation as an 'opportunity in crisis' and stressed connecting the tourism sector with new possibilities.
At the meeting held in the presence of senior departmental officials, directions were given to promote heritage sites, eco sites, forts and other locations in the state as destination wedding venues and to launch the ‘Visit My State’ campaign.
Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said that the tourism department will work with the spirit of 'Nation First'. Under the ‘Visit My State’ campaign, he directed officials to ensure free entry to museums for the next two months. He also instructed officials to establish better coordination with tour operators to prepare attractive and experience-based tour packages for tourists visiting major destinations such as Varanasi, Agra, Mathura, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Mirzapur and Ayodhya.
The Tourism Minister said that the state government is continuously taking steps to promote administrative efficiency, proper use of resources and better coordination. In this regard, officials have been directed to minimise the use of government vehicles, travel to offices together in a single vehicle wherever possible, and reduce the number of vehicles in the departmental fleet.
Minister Jaiveer Singh stressed promoting domestic tourism by offering up to 25 percent discount to tourists staying at Rahi Tourist Guest Houses run by the tourism department. He said, people of the state should explore the rich cultural, religious and natural heritage of Uttar Pradesh instead of travelling abroad.
He also stressed developing special tourism arrangements for visits to cow shelters, ancient temples and major religious sites, so that spiritual, rural and cultural tourism can also gain new momentum.
The Tourism Director General was also directed to coordinate with restaurant associations to explore the possibility of offering special discounts on food and other services for tourists.
The Tourism Minister stressed promoting local tourism. He said that citizens, wedding planners and organisers should give preference to heritage sites within the state for destination weddings and other family and cultural events.
Directing the tourism department to play an active role in this regard, he said that Uttar Pradesh’s heritage sites, ancient forts, eco-tourism sites and cultural complexes are highly suitable for destination weddings. The minister also directed officials to expedite preparations of the historic Chunar Fort in Mirzapur and Chhatar Manzil in Lucknow.
During the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary of Tourism, Culture and Religious Affairs Department, Amrit Abhijat, stressed making the departmental functioning more systematic, disciplined and effective. He clearly stated, "Regional tourism officers from different districts should avoid visiting the Directorate without prior permission from senior officials." He advised maximum use of virtual platforms for meetings and coordination work.
He added that this arrangement would help save time and resources while ensuring transparency, efficiency and accountability in administrative work.
Tourism Director General Vedpati Mishra, Director Tourism (Eco Tourism) Pushp Kumar K., UPSTDC MD Ashish Kumar and other departmental officers and staff were present in the meeting.
