Dehradun: Emphasising the importance of making tourism a year-round activity in Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that there should be no “off-season” for tourists in the state. The Prime Minister was participating in a programme to push winter tourism and flagged off a trek and bike rally at Harsil in Uttarkashi district. Addressing a gathering, he also condoled the recent deaths of eight workers in the February 28 avalanche in Chamoli district’s Mana village. During the trip, Modi also visited the winter seat of Gangotri Dham in Mukhwa.

Modi said Uttarakhand provides opportunities for visitors to recharge and re-energise through yoga and Ayurveda.

He also appealed to universities, private schools, and colleges to consider Uttarakhand for students’ winter trips. He urged people to consider the state also as a destination for winter weddings.

There has been a concerted effort by the government to open the state up for tourism throughout the year. Currently, Uttarakhand gets its major influx of tourists from April to November, largely attributable to the Char Dham pilgrimage.

Modi pointed out that the number of tourists drops drastically afterwards, leaving most hotels, resorts, and homestays vacant in the winter and that this leads to economic stagnation for a large part of the year.