Rs.454-crore ADB loan for Himachal tourism development
October 3rd, 2010 - 2:44 pm ICT by IANSShimla, Oct 3 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh has got a multi-million dollar loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for developing tourism infrastructure and services, an official statement said here Sunday.
“The ADB has agreed in principle to fund various tourism development projects amounting to Rs.454 crore in different parts of the state,” said the statement, quoting Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.
A government spokesperson said the loan to Himachal Pradesh is part of the lender’s sanctioned loan of $250 million (about Rs.1,150 crore) to three other states - Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.
The loan has a 25-year repayment period.
The loan to Himanchal Pradesh would be utilised for improving infrastructure around natural and cultural heritage sites.
Shimla, fondly called by the British as the “Queen of Hills”, has 91 British-era heritage buildings.
These include Ellerslie housing the state secretariat, Vidhan Sabha, Peterhoff which was completely renovated after being devastated in a fire nearly two decades ago and now serves as the state guest house, United Services Club, Town Hall, Barnes Court housing Raj Bhavan, Viceregal Lodge housing the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies and Gordon Castle.
Himachal Pradesh attracted 11,437,155 tourists, including 400,583 foreigners, last year. Kullu and Manali are the hotspots for tourists, followed by Shimla and Dharamsala.
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- Himachal records 16 percent rise in tourist arrivals - Jan 04, 2011
- Dhumal opens heritage museum in Shimla - Aug 06, 2011
- A book that chronicles Shimla's glorious past (IANS Books) - Aug 11, 2010
- Dhumal asks for media's help on Shimla's historical buildings - Jun 19, 2010
- State-run hotels in Himachal rain discounts - Jul 11, 2010
- Shimla's Viceregal Lodge to display rare British era photos - Aug 31, 2010
- Himachal plans houseboats a la Kashmir - Aug 31, 2010
- For Games, Himachal tourist guides get English lessons - Jul 22, 2010
- 'Sanction Himachal's Yamuna Nagar-Paonta Sahib tourism circuit' - Apr 26, 2010
- $95 mn ADB loan for Himachal tourism infrastructure - Jul 21, 2011
- Himachal ties up with three helicopter taxi operators - Dec 06, 2010
- Himachal wooing newly weds with special discounts - Mar 22, 2010
- Coffee table book to toast good old Shimla - Dec 02, 2009
- Tourism: Kashmir's loss is Himachal's gain - Aug 05, 2010
Tags: adb loan, asian development bank, chief minister, crore, cultural heritage, dharamsala, dollar loan, gordon castle, government spokesperson, heritage buildings, kullu, manali, peterhoff, raj bhavan, repayment period, state secretariat, tourism development projects, tourism infrastructure, united services club, vidhan sabha