The MoU was signed by Madrid-based UNWTO Development Assistance Department Director Dr H Varma with the Punjab Government in the presence of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Tourism Minister Hira Singh Gabaria here.

Badal told reporters on the occasion that he had met the Union Tourism Ministry, seeking help for development of tourism, and it directed him to approach the UNWTO. Observing that tourism has an immense potential to indirectly create jobs through other sectors, such as agriculture and manufacturing, Varma said Punjab's tourism resources cover an extensive range-- religious, heritage, cultural, natural, medical and commercial. "When combined with warm and hospitable people and wide variety of folklore, these resources provide Punjab with an opportunity to develop and sustain a major and diversified tourism sector with resultant economic and social benefits for the residents," he said.

As this was the birthplace of Sikhism, visitors were drawn to the Golden Temple and other Sikhs shrines, he said. The heritage and culture associated with the period of Mughals at Kapurthala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Shambu can be tapped, he said.

Varma said the rivers, Beas, Sutlej and Kanjli, along with the canal system, attract migratory birds particular at the wetland of Harike, Kanjli and Ropar. He said that the natural beauty of areas created by the Ranjit Sagar Dam and Talwara lake (Pong Dam) offers strong opportunity for the development of an upscale resort. Varma said that the project would result in a 15-year tourism development master plan for the period 2008-2023, which will define tourism policy and strategy.

"In addition, the project is viewed as an important component of poverty reduction and transfer of knowledge and technology through various outputs," he said.