National Tourism Day 2021: In a bid to promote adventure tourism and winter sports in India, the Centre is working to develop international level infrastructure in Kargil district of Ladakh, said Union Tourism and Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on the occasion of National Tourism Day.
Patel pledged that an international level institute for skiing and mountaineering will soon be opened in Kargil, Ladakh. He said the institute will be opened on the lines of the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM), Gulmarg. “In order to make Kargil a one-stop destination for adventure sport, facilities like ski-lifts at Linkipal Ski Slopes will also be provided,” the minister said.
The Union minister also held a meeting with the officers of the hill councils of Kargil and Leh to discuss the roadmap for arranging all the basic resources. After the meeting, the chief executive councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council assured Patel that the required 25 acres of land will be provided for the development of the institute.
कारगिल में IISM गुलमर्ग की तर्ज़ पर अंतरराष्ट्रीय मानकों के साथ संस्थान खड़ा करने का संकल्प लिया ।कारगिल एवं हिल कांसिल ने 25एकड़ जमीन देने का वादा किया @PMOIndia @JPNadda @incredibleindia @KirenRijiju @tourismgoi @MinOfCultureGoI @BJP4India @BJP4MP @BJP4Ladakh @IITTMHQ pic.twitter.com/JkZMKHB2Gf
— Prahlad Singh Patel (@prahladspatel) January 25, 2021
Patel said that the institute will not only give global recognition to Kargil but also play an important role in training local talents and providing them opportunities abroad.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has allowed both domestic as well as foreign tourists to visit around 100 peaks, including some in Kargil district, for mountaineering in India. This will open new ways for adventure tourism in the country. We are committed to provide all the required technical and training support to people so that they can serve tourists in the most professional manner,” the minister said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the National Event of Adventure Tourism (NEAT Kargil 2021).
According to a tweet by the Ministry of Culture, this is the first time when in the history of Independent India when National Tourism Day is being celebrated in Kargil.
The first time in the history of #IndependentIndia #NationalTourismDay is being celebrated at #Kargil to explore the untapped potential of the local youth and promoting it as a world class #AdventureSports destination. #NEATKargil2021 pic.twitter.com/qPKPD1c2Xe
— Ministry of Culture (@MinOfCultureGoI) January 25, 2021
Stressing on the need to change the perception around adventure sports in India, Patel said that nature has given abundant resources to Kargil and this land has given many good skiers.
