Chandigarh’s first-ever tourism policy set to enhance visitors’ experience

To enhance tourism’s contribution to the economy, the UT administration is developing a tourism policy for the first time in the city. After studying the policies of Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and other union territories, the draft is being prepared and is expected to be finalised in the last week of August.

Prominent tourist destinations in Chandigarh include the Capitol Complex in Sector 1, the Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, Bird Park, the Indian Air Force Heritage Centre, and the Government Museum and Art Gallery in Sector 10. Every year, 30,000 international tourists and 12 lakh domestic tourists visit the City Beautiful.

As per the draft, the tourism department will deploy 30 policemen to facilitate both domestic and international tourists at various tourist spots in Chandigarh. These officers will be trained at the Institute of Hotel Management in Sector 42 and will have a white dress code with blue badges labeled as “tourist police.”

A portal will be created for hotels to update information on the number of domestic and foreign tourists. Each hotel will have a unique ID and password to automatically compile data for the system. A toll-free number will be available for tourists to lodge their complaints. There will be a single-window system for the approval of film shootings in the city. More guides will be deputed and empanelled with the UT administration. The rates for the guides will be fixed and published on the tourism website.

A senior officer of the tourism department stated, “We are in the process of finalising the draft for the policy. The policy will aim at promoting tourism in the region through an integrated approach, including interstate tourism programmes like trade fairs and exhibitions. The policy will be framed on the lines of India’s tourism policy, which has a 7-S Mantra: Swaagat (welcome), soochanaa (information), suvidhaa (facilitation), surakshaa (security), sahyog (cooperation), sanrachnaa (infrastructure), and safaai (cleanliness).”

Arvinder Pal Singh, president of the Chandigarh Hotel Association, said, “The City Beautiful has shed its conservative image as a transit hub for travellers to become a favoured weekend destination. It has now become an essential part of the itinerary for travelers from neighbouring states and has brought business to the hospitality industry on weekends when corporate activities are thin. The tourism policy should have been formed many years ago.”

Tourist police to facilitate visitors

As per the draft, the tourism department will employ 30 policemen to facilitate tourists

They will have a white dress code with blue badges labeled as ‘tourist police’

A portal will be created for hotels to update info on the number of domestic and foreign tourists.

Each hotel will have a unique ID and password to automatically compile data for the system.

A toll-free number will be available for tourists to lodge their complaints.

There will be a single-window system for the approval of film shootings in the city.