During a session on the first day of the Punjab Tourism Summit, in Mohali on Monday. (Express Photo)
Focus on Amritsar, its hinterlands, experts push for exploring culinary tourism too
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With emphasis on Amritsar as hub of tourism and developing it as wedding destination, the state government organised two separate special sessions on the city on the first day of the Punjab Tourism Summit and Travel Mart, Monday.
While the groundbreaking event was ‘on Amritsar as a Wedding Destination,’ another one was on “Amritsar’s Hinterland and Culinary Tourism”. The first session was on promoting Amritsar as a comprehensive and holistic wedding destination, in addition to its current status as a hub for religious tourism.
Samir MC, Managing Director, ITC Fortune Hotels highlighted Amritsar’s unique blend of being a significant religious centre and housing the revered Golden Temple, while simultaneously emerging as a sought-after venue for grand weddings and celebrations.
Loveleen Arun Multani, Director of Panache World emphasized that the time is suitable to develop Amritsar as a favourite wedding destination. She noted that traditional wedding venues of other state have been losing relevance in contemporary world.
Vijay Arora, Founder of Touch Wood, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the wealth of opportunities Amritsar possesses. He suggested utilizing the city’s rich heritage, including historic buildings and havelis to attract a diverse range of tourists seeking unique wedding experiences.
Parthip Thyagarajan, CEO of Wedding Sutra said that Amritsar has already witnessed numerous successful weddings, signifying its inherent potential as a wedding destination.
Devashish Srivastava, Director of Radisson Hotels took the discussion a step further by suggesting that the entire state of Punjab should be considered as a wedding destination.
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Chetan Vohra, a renowned Celebrity Wedding Planner, highlighted the importance of destination readiness, connectivity and the development of surrounding areas to support the vision of making Amritsar a premier wedding destination.
On Amritsar’s culinary tourism, Principal Secretary of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department Rakhee Gupta Bhandari said that when we talk about food, Punjab tops the chart and there is no place across the globe where you cannot find Punjabi food.
She said Punjab also has some unexplored unique traditional cuisines such as ‘tosha’ of Fazilka, atta chicken of Kotkapura, ‘dhodha’ from Kotkapura, which needs recognition at the global level.
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Taking forward the discussion, KPMG’s Himanshu Rattan, who was also the moderator of the session, shed light on how the culinary traditions of Amritsar and its hinterland can be leveraged to attract travellers interested in authentic and immersive experiences.
CMD Sadda Pind, Ish Gambhir, stressed the need to showcase the cuisine of Punjab along with its heritage, culture and tradition.
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Convenor Amritsar Chapter, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Gagandeep Singh asserted to include millets in the diets.
Renowned chef and president of the Indian Federation of Culinary Association Manjit Singh Gill emphasised the revival of traditional Punjabi food.
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Terming the Tourism Summit as a great initiative, the chairman of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Punjab Chapter, Manmeet Singh said that as far as Punjabi food is concerned, you can find it anywhere in the world and it is relished by people across the globe.
