Azamgarh division of UP made a part of ‘Rural Tourism Development Strategy’
Lucknow|The Uttar Pradesh government has added a new chapter in the process of promoting rural tourism in the state. Azamgarh division has now also been linked to the project of making the rich rural environment of the state famous among domestic and foreign tourists.
As per the vision of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, under the scheme, various tourist facilities including home stay will be developed to promote rural tourism in 4 villages in Azamgarh, Mau and Ballia. It is noteworthy that after linking the villages of Azamgarh division with this scheme, the total number of villages being developed for rural tourism has now increased to 97.
Implementation under this project has already started in Devipatan, Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Lucknow and Varanasi divisions. It is believed that the identified villages of other divisions of the state will also be connected to this process soon. All these tourism development and construction works are being completed by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department as per the vision of CM Yogi and the process of accelerating the scheme has started.
As per the vision of CM Yogi, a total of 4 villages in Azamgarh, Mau and Jaunpur districts will be selected for Home Stay Project to promote Rural Tourism under the project. One village coordinator, one district coordinator each, one tourism expert, one rural development expert and team lead will be deployed in all the four villages. The obligation to provide 10 local guides, 5 story tellers and a taste of local cuisine in each village will be entrusted to 5 families. Additionally, 20 artists and local people will be assigned to provide facilities for Zardozi, Moonj, wood craftsman, potter and boating, fishing, fruit and vegetable picking and cycling etc.
Up to 10 home stays can be built at village level. The process of their registration, development and regulation etc. will be completed as per the policy of the local administration and the state government. The entire process will be completed under the guidelines of Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department.
As per the project, all room stays will also be integrated with the Nidhi Plus portal, a department official said. Additionally, possibilities for development of 4 isolated Agro Tourism properties will also be explored. Under the project, various types of events will be organized every three months to promote tourism in the villages. Also, all these villages will be promoted by creating accounts on social media platforms.
Room stays will be developed in villages at a capacity of up to 15 rooms. All the development process will be developed in 24 months as 3 phases of 6 months, fourth phase of 4 months and fifth phase of 2 months.
Uttar Pradesh is the number one tourist destination in the country in terms of domestic tourists. Apart from spiritual tourism, there is also immense potential for tourism based on natural, wild and folk traditional arts in the state. There is a great desire not only among domestic but also foreign tourists to see and experience the culture and nature of Uttar Pradesh. This is the reason why the Yogi government has taken steps towards awakening the immense potential of rural tourism in the state on a large scale.
To promote rural tourism near major tourist destinations of the state, focus is being laid on the process of tourism development including home stay in villages. Besides, work is going on on a detailed framework in the state to promote the training process of tour guides and operators in major tourist circuits including rural and forest.
