Dharamshala, Feb. 27 -- With tourism department of Himachal mulling over introducing "SheTravel Policy", the stakeholders have suggested addressing some long-pending issues to enhance the sense of safety among tourist, particulary among solo female travellers. The policy aims to design, implement, and continuously improve a comprehensive gender-responsive tourism ecosystem in Himachal that guarantees physical safety, ensures dignified infrastructure, and creates economic opportunity. From safety to creating gender responsive infrastructure, the policy targets a doubling of the female solo traveller share in HP's tourism arrivals - from approximately 18% to 35% - within three years of implementation. The tourism department officials said that the draft policy has been circulated to seek suggestions and feedback from various stakeholders. Kangra district tourism development officer Vinay Dhiman, said, "We are holding wide consultations on this policy with tourism stakeholders and have already conducted one meeting in Dharamshala. We will soon convene another meeting in Bir involving all stakeholders, as a large number of solo travellers, especially women, visit the Bir-Billing area." According to the draft policy document, besides increasing female solo travellers, its objectives include reducing safety incidents involving women tourists, register and certify accommodations meeting women-friendly standards and establish Himachal as India's first state with a mandatory annual gender audit of tourism infrastructure. For the safety framework, the policy aims to create a dedicated sub-portal within HP's official tourism digital ecosystem, designed specifically for female solo travellers. In terms of physical safety infrastructure, the policy mandates a gender-sensitive safety audit of all 200+ major tourist spots within a year and deployment of trained female tourist safety marshals (SheGuards) across Himachal, besides mandatory CCTV and panic buttons in registered tourist accommodation. Meanwhile, Shimla hotels and tourism stakeholders association has also appreciated the state government in introducing this policy to encourage solo female travellers. "With the growing trend of women travelling alone or in 'women-only' groups, there is a clear need to ensure their safety and security. This is indeed a commendable step toward creating a more inclusive and tourist-friendly environment," the association said. Moreover, in their letter to the principal secretary (tourism), the association also outlined a few issues that need to be addressed on ground level to ensure the safety of tourists, especially solo female travellers. "The practice of guides, porters, and touts chasingtourist vehicles and conducting unauthorised roadsidesolicitation be completely prohibited. The tourism department may consider developing an official online portal for its registered guides, enabling tourists to hire guide services through a transparent and regulated system. Registered guides may be permitted to operate through designated government-established tourism information offices, allowing tourists to access authentic guide services in an organised manner," the association has suggested in their letter....