SUDIPTA DEV – Mumbai
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| Sunil Bhatia |
Highway tourism is the mainstay of the tourism development strategy for Haryana government, which has set up as many as 42 motels and resorts along the highways that run through the state. Tourists going to Delhi, J&K, Himachal, Chandigarh and Punjab have to cross through Haryana. “We are the pioneers in highway tourism. Haryana Tourism provides the best services to all tourists crossing Haryana on their way to Himachal, UP, Punjab. After every 30 to 40 km we have properties which are providing best facilities at lowest rates,” said Sunil Bhatia, head marketing, Haryana Tourism.
The total number of rooms at these properties add up to 800 keys. Online booking facility is also available for these resorts many of which are along the national highways like NH 1, NH 2, NH 8, NH 10, NH 22. Most of these highway resorts have bar, restaurant, coffee shops, conference halls, petrol pumps, vehicle repair facility, shopping plaza and some activities for the whole family. “These are family resorts. While most of the motels are for night halt, some of them in picturesque locales are also popular destinations for weekend getaway,” stated Bhatia. For example, a highway property in Panchkula next to Chandigarh is a beautiful hill station resort near a lake where people stay for longer duration. There are two properties in the pilgrim destination of Kurukshetra.
For MICE tourism, Faridabad near Delhi has a number of resorts along NH 2, ranging from Lakeview Huts to Aravalli Golf Course, that can cater to a large number of delegates. Highway properties at Rohtak and Panchkula are other popular MICE retreats. “The MICE crowd is mostly from Delhi who prefer to have conferences at Faridabad and other locations in Haryana,” said Bhatia.
The government is also focused on developing talent for the hospitality industry in the Haryana, in particular its own properties. Hospitality training institutes have been established in Faridabad, Rohtak and Panipat for the same.
