NEW DELHI: Tehri has emerged as one of the country’s major adventure and water tourism destinations following extensive development under the Swadesh Darshan (SD) scheme launched by the ministry of tourism. Buoyed by the success story of this scenic district renowned for the Tehri Dam and the sprawling and artificial Tehri Lake in Uttarakhand, the ministry wants other states to draw lessons from and replicate the Tehri model. The project, which was conceived to help decongest Mussoorie and provide an alternate eco-friendly tourism destination, has demonstrated how strategic public investment along with tourism-focused infrastructure development can transform unique natural and infrastructure assets into sustainable tourism destinations while boosting local livelihoods.
When Mussoorie started witnessing huge surge in tourist footfall leading to massive traffic jams across the town a few years ago, the ministry funded around 20-25 floating log huts in Tehri to develop it as an alternative, said officials, who are privy to the plan. Tehri is about 75 kilometres from Mussoorie.
“There used to be only fishing in Tehri Lake. Now, in that artificial lake, there is a floating resort and floating restaurant in the middle. After People started coming to Tehri, the demand soared and consequently a lot of private players came on board. Those who had houses nearby, they converted them into a homestays. Similarly, the ministry is keen to develop alternative destinations to decongest traditional tourism sites by showcasing Tehri as a model,” officials said.
The scheme was launched in January 2015 for the development of theme-based tourist circuits. Under the programme, 76 projects were sanctioned for a total amount of Rs 5290.33 crore and 75 of them have been physically completed. The scheme’s revamped version SD 2.0, with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible destinations, was initiated in 2022 under which 53 projects worth Rs 2208.27 crore were sanctioned for Rs 2208.27.
The state government statistics show a steady rise in tourists in Tehri in the last five years. The state welcomed more than six crore tourists in 2025. Haridwar recorded the highest footfall, attracting 3.42 crore visitors, while the state capital, Dehradun, received 67.35 lakh tourists. Tehri emerged as the third most popular destination, drawing 53.29 lakh visitors and registering nearly five percent growth over 2024. Tourist arrivals in Tehri have risen gradually over the years, increasing from 27.46 lakh in 2022 to 37.61 lakh in 2023. In 2021, it attracted 4.92 lakh visitors. Notably, the floating huts were also introduced in 2021.
Recently, the state government announced a plan to develop the Tehri Lake region into a global tourism destination under the ‘One State, One Global Destination’ initiative. It will work out a master plan for the development of the zone including construction of Tehri Lake Ring Road, bridge and pathways around the lake area.