Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur in June said the Central Government has approved a tourism infrastructure development project of Rs 1,900 crore to be funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). With the help of the funding, the state would be able to develop tourism in rural and unexplored areas and improve the infrastructure of towns, which will also generate employment opportunities, he said.

The eight-year-long project will cover beautification of towns, development of unexplored areas, conservation and restoration of heritage buildings and infrastructure development in adventure, rural tourism with emphasis on community participation and employment generation. It will train rural youth to turn as entrepreneurs in tourism and allied sectors.

Himachal Pradesh, known for its apples and picture-perfect tourist spots, attracted 19.6 million tourists last year, 2.9 times its population, as per the state's Economic Survey 2017-18. Kullu and Manali are tourist hotspots, followed by Shimla and Dharamsala, the seat of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.