By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
A snow leopard tour in the high mountains, skiing in snowy slopes of Auli and paragliding in Nainital, the winter tourism in Uttarakhand is all set to enthrall one and all.
Under a guided tour, high Himalayan mountains like Gangotri national park will be opened to tourists in a controlled manner during winter, state tourism Secretary Dheeraj Garbyal said during a meeting with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Dehradun on Saturday.
Snow leopard tourism will be conducted on a pilot project basis in Gangotri National Park in Uttarkashi. “This initiative aims to promote winter tourism while also creating new employment opportunities locally. Snow Leopard Tours will encourage homestays, local guides, adventure tourism, and other activities, thereby boosting the economy of the border areas,” Gabriyal said.
He also informed that a comprehensive action plan is being implemented to promote winter tourism in the state, including the Chardham Yatra, adventure tourism, cultural festivals, and wildlife tourism. This includes road shows in major cities, digital and print media campaigns, live broadcasts of evening aarti from the Gaddi sites, special tour packages, and winter fee concessions for hotels and resorts.
Garbyal stated that under the plan, adventure events such as skiing, trekking, paragliding, and rappelling will be organized in various areas, including Auli, Khalia Top, and Bednidhar. Winter carnivals will be held in Mussoorie, Nainital, and Uttarkashi, an International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh, and wildlife tourism activities will be organized in Jim Corbett, Nandaur, and Gangotri. He stated that the government’s objective is to establish Uttarakhand as a year-round tourist destination.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed the immediate launch of snow leopard sighting, heli-skiing, and the Himalayan car rally to boost winter tourism in the state.
He directed officials to ensure all arrangements and facilities of the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) are in place by December 20 in view of the winter tourism season.
In addition, the Chief Minister directed that an important meeting be held in Delhi with various stakeholders involved in promoting winter tourism.
He clearly instructed all District Magistrates to ensure that roads, hotels, and other infrastructure related to major tourist destinations in the districts are fully restored, and that he would personally travel by road to inspect the arrangements on the spot.
Dhami directed that under the “One District-One Festival” initiative, a grand festival be organized in each district of the state with the participation of public representatives and local people, which would become the unique identity of each district. He also asked officials to organize an international-level festival at the state level.