To boost tourism, 20-Km seafront driveway planned between Digha and Mandarmani

The Bengal government has undertaken construction of a 20-Km seafront driveway between Digha and Mandarmani that will give a boost to tourism in the region. The driveway will reduce the distance between the two beach resorts by almost half and is being built on the lines of Mumbai's Marine Drive.
It was part of the chief minister's dream beautification project and will give the tourists a clear view of the sea all along the stretch and will reduce the distance between Digha and Mandarmani from 46-Km to 20-Km.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 20 February 2017.

Officials of the Digha-Shankarpur Development Authority have indicated that the Rs 36 crore driveway was expected to be completed by this year. For this, two bridges would have to be built across two canals - Champa and Sapua. To start with, it will be a single-lane road with a width of 5.25 metres and will later be widened into a double-lane road. At present, vehicles ferrying tourists will only be allowed to use the driveway.
There are plans to extend the driveway up to the Peuaghat fishing harbour which is located 19-Km from Mandarmani. The new beach road will also help the tourists reach the 30-odd homestays that the government is planning to start soon. A total of 100 homestays are planned along the stretch between Mandarmani and Digha.


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India's first igloo built in Sethan village, 12 km from Manali

The igloo built by two skiers in Sethan village, 12 km uphill from Manali, is claimed to be India's first igglo. It is made out of snow blocks and situated at an altitude of over 3,000 m close to Hampta Pass in Himachal Pradesh. The height of the igloo is nine feet. It is a 12'x10' structure with a 12-foot-high frontage and can accommodate a snow bed, a table and a chair.
They built the igloo by learning the technique from YouTube and it was built within 20 days.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 9 February 2017.

The igloo is built in an area known for growing delicious apples and the igloo can take in three persons and the area could easily stay in the structure. There is more than three feet of snow where the igloo has been set up. Given the present temperatures, the igloo will not melt till March-end.
Renting out igloos to tourists can give a boost to adventure-related tourism under the home-stay scheme in the Kullu-Manali region which is a hot spot for tourists, which is followed by Shimla and Dharamsala.


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Demonetisation hits tourism hard in Kumaon - few takers for 'bal mithai'

Demonetisation has hit tourism hard in the Kumaon region and state government-run hotels are witnessing a drop of 30% in the number of tourists arrivals in the last one month. The sale of woollen products and Almora’s iconic sweet dish ‘bal mithai’ have also been hit hard.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 12 December 2016.

Usually, popular tourist destinations like Munsiyari and Chaukori are fully booked for Christmas and year-end celebrations every year but such prospects appear bleak this year. During this time of the year, tourists from Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi arrive to visit the hills which have abundant sunshine and great views of the Himalayan peaks - this year, it is down to a trickle.
Similarly for homestays run by village women - they are also facing the brunt of demonetisation. Some of the foreign tourists had to cut short their trip because of the prevailing cash crunch. Women who run homestays, are unable to withdraw cash for buying grocery and other necessary items for tourists.


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Soon visitors to Similipal National Park can now enjoy traditional Odia cuisine at the restaurant opened at the Kumari eco-tourism complex. Tourists can enjoy lunch and dinner by paying Rs 200 for each meal and Rs 100 each for breakfast and afternoon snacks. The restaurant can seat 24 persons.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 4 November 2016.

There will be four eateries that will be made functional from this season - two of these at at Kumari and the other two at Muktapur. An amphitheatre has also been opened to visitors where cultural programs will be held every evening. The park had been closed since mid-June because of monsoon and has now reopened for tourists on November 1.
There are plans to promote home-stays at the forest by identifying suitable villages where tourists can stay as paying guests in the houses of the local tribal people and taste a sample of the local life. Drinking water facilities and toilets will be opened at various locations inside the forest within a month.
A maximum of 35 four-wheeled vehicles will be allowed to enter the Similipal National Park area from Kaliami check gate and another 25 vehicles from Pithabata entry point between 6am and 9am every day - one guide for every vehicle would be compulsory.
The park houses 1,076 species of plants belonging to 102 families, besides 96 species of orchids. There are a total of 42 species of mammals, 242 species of birds and 30 species of reptiles in the forest.


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