Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reiterated his appeal to the people of the country to “Wed in India” and encouraged prioritizing Uttarakhand as a destination for winter weddings.

He also emphasized the importance of making tourism a year-round activity in Uttarakhand, saying that there should be no “off-season” for tourists in the state.

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The prime minister was participating in a programme to push winter tourism and flagged off a trek and bike rally at Harsil in Uttarkashi district. Addressing a gathering, he also condoled the recent deaths of eight workers in the February 28 avalanche in Chamoli district’s Mana village.

During the trip, Modi also visited the winter seat of Gangotri Dham in Mukhwa.

He reiterated his earlier appeal from youths to make Uttarakhand as their destination instead of going outside the country. He stressed that the wedding economy in India was worth thousands of crores rupees and he had requested youths to hold their marriages in the country.

“I have similar expectations from the film industry of India. Uttarakhand has been bestowed with the most film friendly state award. It’s developing all modern amenities and infrastructures and can become a favourite destination of India for shooting films as well,” he said.

Modi also recalled his visit to Baba Kedarnath, where he had declared that, “this decade would be the decade of Uttarakhand”. He noted that the commitments made for Uttarakhand’s development are being realized through continuous achievements and new milestones.

He added, “Winter tourism is a significant step in this direction, aiding in harnessing Uttarakhand’s economic potential” and congratulated the Uttarakhand government for this innovative effort and extended his best wishes for the state’s progress.

“Diversifying and making the tourism sector a year-round activity is important and necessary for Uttarakhand”, said the Prime Minister, remarking that there should be no “off-season” in the hill state, and tourism should thrive in every season.

He mentioned that currently, tourism in the hills is seasonal, with a significant influx of tourists during March, April, May, and June. However, he added that the number of tourists drops drastically afterward, leaving most hotels, resorts, and homestays vacant during winters.

He pointed out that this imbalance leads to economic stagnation for a large part of the year in Uttarakhand and also poses challenges to the environment.