NRP Desk
Lucknow: From ‘Kannauj Ka Island’, a waterlogged farmland turned into a picnic spot, to a family in Mathura offering lessons in making tulsi garlands, to relishing farm-fresh meals prepared by local women in a Pilibhit village. These unique success stories of farmstays, dotted across Uttar Pradesh, have inspired the Yogi Adityanath government to promote “agri-tourism” in a big way. By providing financial backing, legal exemptions, and structured guidance to anyone seeking to transform their farmlands into a “tourist destination”, the policy planners believe that a boost in agritourism will work towards “reversing the migration” in the state that has about 2.3 crore farming households and a “problem” of most youths migrating to cities to earn a living. “Farmstays are at the heart of our vision to make tourism inclusive, community-driven, and sustainable. Uttar Pradesh has always attracted millions of visitors for its culture and spirituality. But we realised that the villages, with their land, traditions, and people, hold an equally powerful story,” Mukesh Meshram, Principal Secretary, Tourism Department, Uttar Pradesh Government, told The Indian Express.
