Union Tourism Secretary V Vidyavathi said on Wednesday during an interactive session with a group of sarpanches and gram pradhans from a large number of border villages that tourism should be developed but not at the expense of communities.

Adventure tourism, according to her, is a significant sector for the ministry of tourism and has enormous potential in the areas selected for the Vibrant areas Program.

Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Ladakh are included in the 46 blocks of the initiative that are bordering the northern border. The program was launched as a centrally-sponsored scheme.

According to a release from the tourism ministry, Vidyavathi met with 300 sarpanches and gram pradhans from the border villages selected for the program at the Hotel Ashoka in this city.

These village leaders were present at Red Fort on Tuesday for the 77th Independence Day celebrations. They were one of the 1,800 VIP attendees that were invited to the celebration.

Discussions at the meeting included a range of tourism-related topics, including difficulties that various communities have to deal with as well as prospective directions and answers. Infrastructure, community involvement, skill development, and environmental protection were among the themes covered, it claimed.

Source- Travel biz