The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has recently approved the Uttar Pradesh Water Tourism and Adventure Sports Policy 2023 during a cabinet meeting held at Lok Bhavan. The policy is aimed at promoting water-based tourism and adventure sports within the state.
The policy will be valid for ten years and will encompass all land-based, air-based, and water-based routes, including dams, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, ponds, and other water bodies in Uttar Pradesh. It aims to tap into the immense potential of water-based tourism and adventure activities in the region.
Uttar Pradesh, with its Vindhya and Bundelkhand regions, the foothills of the Himalayas, picturesque landscapes, forests, flowing rivers, waterfalls, dams, reservoirs, and lakes, offers great potential for water-based tourism and adventure sports.
The nodal agency responsible for implementing the policy will establish adventure sports units at the divisional level, and ex-servicemen will be included in these units through collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Ex-Servicemen Welfare Corporation.
The policy will involve conducting potential studies for water-based tourism and adventure sports on designated land areas and water sources. Licenses will be issued for water-based tourism and adventure sports on each land area and water body.
Additionally, the Council of Ministers has taken significant steps in the field of tourism. The Tourism Department’s proposal to develop and operate closed, loss-making, or non-operational tourist accommodations on a public-private partnership (PPP) mode has been approved. Some Rahi tourist accommodations will be developed on PPP mode, and heritage buildings in the state will be developed as heritage tourism units on the PPP model.
The Council of Ministers also approved the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission Bill 2023, which will replace the separate selection boards and commissions for the selection of teachers in the state with the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission. The commission will consist of 12 members and a chairman appointed by the state government.
With these decisions, Uttar Pradesh is expected to witness a boost in water-based tourism, adventure sports, and overall development in the tourism sector.