![]() ![]() There are trekking trails, bird and nature walks and camping sites being developed around these family resorts, says Dhungel. These rural home stays are a big draw for foreign tourists as well as the nature-loving Indian tourist. “We then sponsored family members to undergo training in housekeeping, cookery and other aspects of hospitality at hotel management institutes,” says Sikkim tourism minister Bhim Prasad Dhungel. For instance, additional funds were provided to IAY beneficiaries to build an extra room and western-style toilet for tourists. Sikkim actually tweaked central projects like the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) to develop village and eco-tourism. This is precisely what Lonely Planet has recognized: the sustainable community-based tourism model that Sikkim has successfully developed in less-developed areas of the state. It started popularising village tourism a few years ago and aggressively developed tourist destinations and circuits and a bunch of activities to attract tourists. Sikkim was the first Indian state to frame an eco-tourism policy with the help of Japanese and American experts. He’d been working towards the goal for too long to feign surprise. Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling didn’t jump with glee when an officer told him earlier this week that global travel guide Lonely Planet had named his state the “best region to visit in 2014”. ![]()
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