In a bid to boost rural tourism, the central government is introducing the Vibrant Village Programme. Under this initiative, 17 villages along the border with China have been selected by the government, and will be developed into tourism sites.
If reports are to go by, these 17 border villages are part of the 663 villages, which will be revamped in the first phase, whereas the primary focus will be on facilities for tourists and better connectivity.
The border villages selected for the same are located in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Referring to this, a source in the know-how added that the Union Tourism Ministry has zeroed in on adventure tourism and homestays as the focus areas to develop the first 17 villages chosen for the pilot project.
Reportedly, the villages to be developed under this scheme include Chushul and Korzok in Ladakh; Gipu, Lalung, and Charang Khas in Himachal Pradesh; Niti, Mana, Malari, and Gunji in Uttarakhand; Lachen, Gnathang, Lachung in Sikkim; Zemithang, Tuting, Taksing, Chayangtajo, and Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh.
Reports further add that under the said scheme, 120 homestays will be constructed or restructured in the villages of Uttarakhand, and the same will be put into place in other villages as well. Trekking routes will also be developed through the areas in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, whereas the regions of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh will be developed to facilitate adventure sports activities, such as ice skating, river rafting, skiing, and more.
This ambitious project further aims to provide clean drinking water, all-weather road access, mobile network, electricity, internet connectivity, along with the development of tourism hubs.
