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Home > Lifestyle News > Travel News > Article > Balle balle Pack your bags to Punjab

Balle balle! Pack your bags to Punjab

Updated on: 03 March,2011 06:07 AM IST  | 
Surekha S |

Punjab, along with Gujarat and Uttarakhand is where you should head to, for your next Indian holiday

Balle balle! Pack your bags to Punjab

Punjab, along with Gujarat and Uttarakhand is where you should head to, for your next Indian holiday

Ask travel regulars who crisscross India, of their favourite destinations. Karnataka, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh usually top the list.


Golden Temple, Amritsar

However, Punjab, Gujarat and Uttarakhand are fast climbing the popularity charts, based on data that emerged from the recently concluded travel show TTF & OTM (Travel & Tourism Fair &. Outbound Travel Mart). The three-day event, which was held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, hosted 700 exhibitors from 34 countries. Each of the 28 Indian states participated in this travel fair that witnessed 15,000
visitors.

New destinations
According to Sanjiv Agarwal, CEO and Chairman, Fairfest Media Ltd, participation and visitors increased by over 25% as compared to the previous year. "People came to the show to catch a glimpse of different parts of the world," he said. Agarwal describes Punjab as the new kid on the block. Razit Bhandari, Manager Marketing, Punjab says, "Recently, we formed the Heritage and Tourism Board to promote tourism.

Punjab has plenty of historically significant places as well as many forts and palaces. Apart from Amritsar, one can visit palaces of the Maharajas of Patiala, Lohi and Kapurthala as well as sites that were integral to India's freedom struggle."

Gujarat is another state that is climbing up the tourist charts. The rock edict of Emperor Ashoka at Jamnagar, Lord Krishna's abode at Dwarka, Mahatma Gandhi's home at Rajkot and Akshardham at Gandhinagar are huge tourist draws. Northward, Uttarakhand with its the Char Dham Yatra, which covers Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath is a hit among religious tourists. Uttarakhand is also popular for adventure sports like river rafting.

Old favourite
Himachal Pradesh remains a favourite destination with Indian, foreign, religious and non-religious tourists. "It offers some of the best hill destination in India. The peace, the forests and wild life is a great mix," says Manoj Sharma, joint director, Himachal Pradesh. The state attracted 1.3 crore tourists in 2010. Manali, Dharamsala, Dalhousie are popular attractions. "The tribal belt is also gaining interest," adds Sharma.




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