In an ongoing pandemic situation, the worst affected sector is the tourism sector as people are avoiding national and international trips to heritage and cultural sites. That’s why World Tourism Day 2020 holds great importance as it will bring new hope to this sector.

The 2020 World Tourism Day will celebrate the unique role that tourism plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities and preserving cultural and natural heritage all around the world.

The theme for World Heritage Day 2020 is “Tourism and Rural Development”.  Tourism and Rural development are inter-related as all around the world, tourism empowers rural communities, providing jobs and opportunities, most notably for women and youth. As in these hard times, millions of tourism jobs have gone at risk.

Importance of Tourism Sector for a country

The tourism sector contributes to the complete growth and economic development of a country by bringing various values and benefits and also helps to create a country’s brand value, image, and reputation. The tourism industry is not only about natural and cultural heritage sites, but it’s a major contributor to the economic development of a country.

Information source: https://www.unwto.org/news/world-tourism-day-2020-global-community-unites-to-celebrate-tourism-and-rural-development

Dehradun is situated in a beautiful valley called Doon Valley. The name of Dehradun city is made up of two different words “Dehra” and “Doon”. Dehra means home and Doon means the valley between the Himalayas and the Shivaliks. The city of Dehradun is known for its unique lifestyle, beautiful surroundings, and prestigious educational institutions.  The Forest Research Institute (only institution of its kind in Asia), headquarters of the Oil and Natural Commission, Survey of India, and the Military Academy are some of the main highlighting institutions of Dehradun. Travelers in search of adventurous activities with a peaceful environment visit Dehradun.

There are many beautiful places to visit in Dehradun:

1. Sahastradhara: Sahastradhara located at a distance of 11 km from Dehradun is a picnic spot and attracts every tourist. Sahastradhara, a word combination of two words Sahastra means a thousand and Dhara means spring. Sahastradhara has some medicinal value also. It is believed water that falls from limestone caves contains sulfur that can cure many skin diseases. The place can be visited any time during the year but its charm is unique in monsoon as it is surrounded by lush green vegetation of Himalayas. Thus make it a perfectly picturesque place.

2. Tapekshwar Temple: A religious place situated 5.5 km from the city is a place of worship for all. Tapkeshwar means water droplets, originating from a rock, falls on the Shivling placed in the shrine.  Every year a large fair organized on the shrine at the time of Shivratri.

3. Rober’s cave: An adventurous tourist spot in Dehradun formed naturally. Robber’s Cave is a river water cave formed in the Himalayas. This is a natural formation having river water flowing from the middle of a cave. The beauty of the place is mesmerizing.

4. Malsi Deer Park: It’s just 10km away from Dehradun on Mussoorie- Dehradun route. Deer Park is a beautiful tourist spot in the foothills of the Shivalik range. Malsi Deer Park is a mini-zoological park surrounded by stunning natural surroundings.

5. Trekking in Dehradun: Trekkers love to visit Dehradun as trekking is one of the most liked activity among travelers. There are many treks like Nag Tibba Trek, Chakrata Trek, Har Ki Dun Trek, George Everest trek, and many more.

Dehradun visiting time: Dehradun is a retreat for travelers that can be visited at any time of year. The destination is located in the state of Uttarakhand and is one of the top hills stops to visit in India. The best season for a trip to Dehradun is the summer season when the weather is good. In monsoon and the autumn season, tourists can visit but winters are a little bit colder than surrounding areas.

Reaching to Dehradun: Dehradun is well connected through roads, railways, and Airways from all major cities of India, thus reaching Dehradun is easy. Jolly Grant Airport, the nearest airport to Dehradun has flights from all cities of India and the Dehradun railway junction is also accessible from every part of India.

Two main pilgrim centres in Uttarakhand are Badrinath and Kedarnath. It is located in the Rudraprayag district. Every year lakhs of pilgrims come to worship in this temple. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.  There are many stories related to this temple. According to the legend, Pandavas built this temple. Pandavas were very desperate and filled with self-gratification because of killing their brothers in the war. They wanted to meet Lord Shiva so that they could get a path of liberation. But Lord Shiva was not happy with Pandavas because of Mahabharata’s war and did not want to meet them that’s why Lord Shiva took the form of a bull. And when he was founded by the Pandavas, he went further into the earth leaving the hump on the surface.

According to the legend, Pandavas built this temple. Pandavas were very desperate and filled with self-gratification because of killing their brothers in the war. They wanted to meet Lord Shiva so that they could get a path of liberation. But Lord Shiva was not happy with Pandavas because of Mahabharata’s war and did not want to meet them that’s why Lord Shiva took the form of a bull. And when he was founded by the Pandavas, he went further into the earth leaving the hump on the surface.

Some of the tourist spots that a traveler can see there are Vasuki Tal, Shankaracharya Samadhi, Sonprayag, Chandra Shila and many more.

As it is situated in the mountains at a very high altitude, so the temple opens in the mid of April to November only when the temperature is favorable. It is one of the 12 Jyotirling. Among the devotees, this temple has a lot of importance. The month of October is considered the best to visit the Kedarnath Temple.