Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday called on the people to make winter tourism a mass movement, calling it a strong foundation for a self-reliant Uttarakhand.

The chief minister said unprecedented enthusiasm is being witnessed for winter tourism in areas like Kedarkantha, Harsil, Auli, Munsiyari, and Sankri, and attributed it to Narendra Modi's call for tourism.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the Winter Festival in Sankri, a rapidly emerging tourist destination in Uttarkashi district.

"This is creating new employment opportunities at the local level. Young people are becoming self-reliant through trekking guides, homestays, hotels, and other tourism-related activities, and migration from these areas has also decreased," he said.

Winter tourism is also providing a new market for folk artists, handicrafts, traditional cuisine, and local products, he said.

Dhami described Sankri as not just a village, but as a living museum of Uttarakhand's folk culture. "The traditional architecture, folk culture, and simple Pahari lifestyle here reflect the unique identity of Uttarakhand."

Meanwhile, Dhami said that his government is strengthening cultural values, law and order, and transparency, along with development, and with the Uniform Civil Code, anti-copying law, strict land laws, and a 'zero tolerance' policy towards corruption, Uttarakhand is asserting its identity among the leading states of the country.

Earlier, Dhami was given a traditional welcome upon his arrival at the Winter Festival and was presented with traditional woollen attire.

He then flagged off a group of tourists going to Kedarkantha.