Darshan resort to be built at Kartarpur

Tourism plan envisages holy trail of sites for Sikh visitors

LAHORE:

The Punjab Tourism Department is all set to establish a resort at Kartarpur.

The TDCP Darshan Resort shall provide a view of the holy site to the pilgrims staying there.

Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi has already given a nod to Secretary Tourism Raja Jahangir Anwar upon reviewing the proposal.

According to an official, the proposed facility will have 50 rooms.

The department plans to offer Sikh Pilgrims a tourism-friendly experience at Rohri Sahib at Emanabad, Sucha Sauda at Farooqabad, Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur and Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, forming a holy trail for the visitors.

The official said the provincial government hoped that the initiative would prove to be a gateway to religious tourism in Punjab as the province was home to 195 Gurdwaras, including the birthplace of Guru Nanak.

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A survey has indicated that Sikh visitors from the United Kingdom, United States and Canada can unlock the potential of a multi-billion dollar industry covering religious, heritage as well as recreational tourism in the country.

Apart from 83% Sikhs living outside India who expressed their interest during the survey to visit the sites in Pakistan, the plan may eventually attract domestic tourism as well.

The ground-breaking for the resort is expected in the beginning of the coming year.

The Buddhist sites for which the government has mapped interest from South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, including temples across Punjab, would also be taken into account for long-term international religious and heritage tourism growth.

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur is at a distance of 55km from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Which is considered the most sacred temple for Sikhs and visited by millions of people annually.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2023.