Shimla
A major step is being taken towards strengthening and making the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) self-reliant. The corporation will soon launch a Platinum Card scheme, which will offer special facilities to regular tourists and institutional clients at HPTDC hotels.
HPTDC Director Rajiv Kumar said that through this card, tourists will receive discounted room rates, priority booking, special services, and dining offers. The aim is to connect frequent travelers with HPTDC and strengthen the corporation’s competitiveness against private hotels. The director stated that all these initiatives are being undertaken under the guidance of HPTDC Chairman, Cabinet Minister and MLA from Nagrota Bagwan, RS Bali, and their positive results will be clearly visible in the coming times.
The corporation is also completely revamping its official website. The website will be made modern, simple, and user-friendly to promote direct online bookings and establish better coordination with OTA platforms.
To promote religious tourism, HPTDC has partnered with IRCTC. Under this collaboration, religious and pilgrimage tourism packages will be developed and promoted nationally. This initiative is expected to particularly benefit senior citizens and pilgrims.
A performance-based incentive policy has also been implemented for employees. Employees of units that exceed their targets will receive an incentive of up to 5 percent.
In addition, HPTDC is exploring the possibility of entering the foreign exchange business. The process of obtaining an FFMC license from the RBI has been initiated, which will provide the corporation with a new source of additional income in the future.
The director stated that renovation work is progressing rapidly at several units, including Hotel Hamirpur, Holiday Home Shimla, Meghdoot, Kiarighat, Renukaji, and Jawali. Major projects costing crores of rupees are also being completed in the Kullu-Manali region.
The process of obtaining a term loan from a government bank to pay gratuity and leave encashment to retired employees has been initiated. Agreements have also been made with Union Bank and Punjab National Bank to provide holiday home facilities at tourist destinations for their employees.
Looking at the financial achievements, the corporation has earned revenue of ₹10,867.03 lakh so far in the year 2024-25. Tie-ups have been established with Swiggy and Zomato in Shimla, Rampur, Palampur, Dharamshala, and Manali, while outdoor catering has also generated significant income.
