The new website – VisitDharamshala.com – launched by His Holiness Dalai Lama last week aims to bring all approved and registered attractions, products and services under one platform and overcome the deficit of flow of real time verified information about tourism in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh has launched a dedicated website for promoting tourism of Kangra district last week. The website was unveiled by His Holiness Dalai Lama in the presence of the association leaders and local tourism officials in the district.
The website is designed to highlight diverse culture, heritage, natural beauty, adventure activities, local cuisine, festivals, and hospitality of the Kangra district in general and Dharamshala, the most popular destination of the district, which is known as the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh in particular. The platform will serve as a comprehensive resource for travelers seeking authentic information about Dharamshala and the surrounding region, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Dharamshala informed in a statement.
Ashwani Bamba, President of the Association, said that the primary objective of the initiative was to bridge the gap in authentic and real-time information flow to travelers at a time when Himalayan destinations and the industry there were facing the brunt of unverified and fake news and information.
He said that the private industry in Dharamshala sometimes pay the price with booking cancellations for disasters happened in far away districts in the state because of the absence of real time information and helpline numbers.
Bamba said that by creating a comprehensive platform for all stakeholders, they expect the overnight by visitors to the district would enhance, benefiting the entire tourism ecosystem.
He said that the onboarding process of hotels of all categories, homestays, etc are on and about 100 five and four-star hotels are already available for booking. However, he said that only verified products with proper registration and licences would be listed on the new website.
Information about verified taxi operators, approved trekking routes, handicraft and other ethnic products will also be available on the site, he said.
“Stay is only one part of the initiative. Providing real time and verified information to the discerning travellers is the overall objective,” Bamba observed.
Besides Bamba, Onkar Nehria, chairman of the Association, Vinay Dhiman, district tourism officer were among those attended the unveiling of the new website.
