World Bank to promote Punjab tourism

Chandigarh, July 15 (IANS) To project Punjab as a global tourist destination, the World Bank Tuesday offered to fund projects for promotion of religious, heritage, health and ethnic tourism in the state.

A team of senior World Bank (WB) officials met Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here Tuesday and asked the Punjab government to work out the modalities in this regard.

The four-member team was led by its Country Director Onno Ruhl.

Ruhl said that the WB had already made similar offers to Pakistan's Punjab state to develop its tourism and Indian Punjab was being invited to promote tourism as both the eastern and western Punjab shared a common cultural affinity and glorious cultural heritage.

Punjab has been asked to send a detailed proposal of different tourism projects to be developed through financial assistance from the WB.

Punjab gets a large number of visitors, especially devotees, annually due to its famous Sikh shrines and other heritage structures. The holiest Sikh shrine, 'Harmandar Sahib' (popularly known as Golden Temple) in Amritsar attracts millions of people every year.