Haryana sets its sights on MICE
A convention hall of 1,000-person capacity is now being constructed at Red Bishop Tourist Complex, Panchkula.
TT BUREAU In a bid to make Haryana a tourist hotspot, the state’s Tourism Department has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to improve its services. According to Sumita Misra, Managing Director, Haryana Tourism Corporation, the department is expanding ‘banqueting and conferencing’ facilities, rooms in tourist complexes are being renovated, several hotel management, catering institutes and amusement parks are also being set up in the state. Haryana Tourism Corporation is developing world-class tourism infrastructure, both in public and private sectors across the state. The Haryana Tourism Corporation had previously commissioned prestigious Convention Centres at Surajkund, Faridabad and at Tilyar Lake, Rohtak. A convention hall of 1,000-person capacity is now being constructed at Red Bishop Tourist Complex, Panchkula, Misra stated. “The renovation and upgrading of the facilities are in full swing at the tourist complexes in Ambala, Bahadurgarh, Pipli, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Karnal, Rai, Pehowa, Sohna, Faridabad, Dharuhera, Bhiwani and Mansa Devi. New rooms are being constructed at Koel Tourist Complex, Kaithal. Also, the online booking of rooms recently introduced has been showing encouraging results. The facility is currently available for 80 per cent of the complexes and would be soon applicable for the remaining complexes as well,” she pointed out. New buildings are coming up at the State Institutes of Hotel Management in Faridabad
and Yamunanagar as well. Throwing light on the recent achievements of Haryana Tourism, she added, “Under the HunarSeRozgarTak programme, about 14 Tourist Complexes of Haryana Tourism and four State Institutes of Hotel Management across the state are conducting two courses that include Food Production and Food and Beverage Service, which are of eight and six weeks duration respectively.” Elaborating on the benefits of rural tourism for the state, she remarked, “The farm and rural tourism scheme has been profitable for the states which have adopted it. We had launched the scheme in 2003 and it is running successfully in places like Jhajjar, Karnal, Rohtak etc. However, there is an urgent need to upgrade facilities and teach skills to villagers as part of upgradation.”