Sikkim Tourism seeks PPP route for creating iconic status

GANGTOK, January 29: In a bid to take Sikkim Tourism to an iconic status, the State Government has issued notice seeking expression of interest from private developers for taking up multi-crore mega tourism related projects under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode in Sikkim. Icon

These projects include creation of five star hotels, passenger and tourist ropeways, theme parks, amusement parks, luxury transport system, wellness tourism related infrastructure and other feasible projects for tourism sector in Sikkim.

Among those projects sought for to be taken under PPP mode is the ambitious Sky-Walk project and related infrastructure at Bhaleydunga peak, Yangyang in South Sikkim.

It may be recalled that an international consultancy firm in its pre-feasibility report last year in the month of August had pegged the estimated cost for the proposed iconic Skywalk at Baleydunga peak as an integrated tourism destination to around Rs. 1200 crores.

The lump sum cost had involved construction of three finger shaped glass skywalks connected through a tunnel in the rocky spur of Baleydunga cliff standing an elevation of 10,102 feet.

As per the project structure, the design of the glassy skywalk at Bhaleydunga has been proposed like a three fingered fork at ninety degrees each protruding out from inside the top of the cliff. The proposed skywalk will stand at an elevation of 10,102 feet and the cliff would be connected by a ropeway from the nearby hamlet of Yangyang.

In its notice, the State tourism department has informed the interested developers that it is exploring the possibility of prompting a number of commercial projects on a PPP mode to boost the overall tourism scenario of the State. The projects include creating five star hotels as accommodation facilities, theme parks with toy-trains and skating rinks, helicopter services, wayside amenities at focal places, management lease of guest house and infrastructure at Saramsa Garden and other feasible projects for Sikkim Tourism.

The emphasis is to develop world class iconic tourist infrastructure and facilities with better technical inputs and higher professional approach so that it can be marketed in the international platform, said the department.

With tourism emerging as the most important civil industry in the State thanks its congenial atmosphere, the State tourism department has wooed the private developers by stating that tourism is bound to flourish further in Sikkim.

The strategic planning of tourism products is to give emphasis on larger social objectives, conservation of local and regional ecology and to bring about all round development, the department said. It added that the prospective developers have to examine the potential under consideration for survey investigation, DPR and execution under PPP mode.

While planning the world class tourism infrastructure, prospective developers also have to take the responsibility to ensure that the tourism products being created are self-sustainable and are in harmony with the nature, culture and heritage of Sikkim, the department emphasized.