Himachal CM Sukhwinder Sukhu Inaugurates India International Hospitality Expo, calls it ‘correct time to invest in Himachal’
Ten News Network
Greater Noida, 2nd August 2023: The India International Hospitality Expo kicked off at the India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida. The inauguration ceremony of the three day (2nd -5th August) prestigious event, took place at 11 AM on Wednesday. Himachal Pradesh CM, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu graced the event as the Chief Guest.
Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Chairman Indian Expo Centre and Mart hosted the event which was joined by other prominent Himachal officials such as Chairman of the HP Tourism Development Corporation Limited, Raghubeer Singh Bali, who was the Guest of Honor and Chief Secretary of the Himachal government, Pramod Saxena.
After lighting of the auspicious lamp and felicitation of the esteemed guests in attendance, Dr. Rakesh Kumar delivered his welcome address.
In his address Dr. Kumar welcomed the guests to the sixth India International Expo and revealed that the state in focus of this year’s Expo was the “ breathtaking and beautiful” Himachal Pradesh.
Dr. Rakesh Kumar welcomed all the guests and along with the Chief Guest, Guest of Honour HP Government Secretary, HP bureaucrats he extended his welcome to Padam Shri awardee, Vice Chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Dr. Mahesh Verma.
Quoting Himachal CM, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Dr Rakesh Kumar said that, “ Himachal has positioned itself as an all season destination, garnering international attention and attracting travellers from around the World.” He further said that Himachal is committed to develop eco-friendly, tourism and hospitality while conserving the natural beauty and ecological barriers of the state.
He said that, “ Himachal witnessed the highest tourist in six years crossing the number of one crore to race in the first six months of this year… the state welcomed a total of 1.6 crore visitors as of June.”
He further said that Himachal was the most conducive destination for exhibitions. Highlighting the cleanliness and pollution free environment of the Himalayan state, Dr Rakesh said that this makes Himachal a better exhibition Centre than metro cities like Delhi.
He concluded by expressing his gratitude and said, “ On this occasion, we at Expo Centre and Mart, look forward to join hands with the government of Himachal Pradesh for the development of the Centre of art in the valley of Dhauladhar, Dharamsala, which is popularly known for (being the home to) the holy Dalai Lama and the World’s Highest Cricket Stadium.”
Dr Rakesh’s address was followed by a keynote address by Himachal Pradesh Secretary Mr Pramod Saxena.
In his speech, Mr Saxena drew attention to the natural calamities that occurred in Himachal due to heavy rainfall and multiple cloudbursts and commended the CM for managing the situation with relentless efforts for the past 25 days.
He further complimented Dr. Rakesh Kumar for establishing a Convention Centre for businessman and at the same time helping small artisans and artists by providing them an excellent platform to showcase their products on an international scale.
Sharing the collective vision as well as CM Sukhu’s ambitions for the state Mr Saxena stated that, “ He (the CM) has a great vision and is highly enthusiastic and committed to help Himachal perform exceptionally…He has declared Kangra valley as the Tourist Capital of the state and aims to improve tourism in Kangra and Himachal.”
Finally he said that, “ (We) hope that under the guidance of CM Sukhu and Raghubeer Bali we are able to achieve our vision for the state.”
Mr. Pramod Saxena’s address was followed by a speech by Guest of Honour Raghubeer Singh Bali who also applauded the CM for his work during the rescue work of the natural calamity.
He further said that, “ Himachal is a state that is known for tourist, tourism, lakes and snow clad mountains… something that makes Himachal special is ‘peace’. Even today you are able to find peace in Himachal. We need to tell people that we are a peaceful state and a safe state.”
Sharing his vision for the tourism in Himachal he said, “ We want to make a yoga retreat in Himachal, a five-star wellness spa in our state, we want to build India’s biggest fountain worth ₹40cr and a Safari zoo worth Rs.600 crore in the valley of Kangra.”
He concluded by stating, “ Himachal is known as Dev Bhumi, green Himachal, beautiful Himachal, peaceful Himachal and we want to propagate this. I invite everyone of you to come with your proposals as we are ready to help.”
Finally, CM SukhU concluded the event by delivering his speech. He spoke upon the investment that is going to happen in the tourism industry.
CM Suku further stated his vision to uplift tourism in Himachal and said, “ To boost tourism, Himachal is working on developing infrastructure in the state, especially in the district of Kangra. The development of infrastructure is a necessity to attract tourists into the state.”
Further elaborating he said, “We are planning to build a full-size airport in Kangra and have already started upon the project.” Focusing on the beauty of Himachal he said, “we have decided to join all district headquarters through a Heli-course, you will be able to travel within 15 minutes from Chandigarh to Shimla via a Heli-taxi.”
Concluding his speech, CM Sukhu said, “This is the correct time to invest in Himachal, ” as the government is committed to help investors, especially the hotel and hospitality industry.
