Source: in.news.yahoo.com
HARIDWAR, INDIA, July 18, 2009: Next year’s Kumbha Mela at Haridwar is being positioned as a trendy tourist attraction. With fancy facilities and major celebrities coming on stealthy visits, tour operators are planning to earn big money and revive their industry, which has suffered from last year’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the economic downturn that followed.
Haridwar is expected to see an influx of 15 million pilgrims-many of whom will come from distant lands and stay in luxurious accommodations, away from the milling crowds who will stay in ramshackle dharamshalas.
Luxury camps will be housed in all-weather tents. Also available will be Swiss cottages with western-style toilets, hot and cold water, multi-cuisine menus and first aid facilities. “The idea is to give our guests a glimpse of the local culture in a setting which is comfortable for them”, said Bibhas Prasad, director of a local hotel.