Amritsar is on the bucket list of almost every traveller. Be it the Golden Temple, food, hospitality or the city’s layered history, the deeper you dig, the more you want to explore.Offering a rare rural-urban connect close to the International Border, Amritsar is a city where faith, history, heritage, food and culture come together.Its story stretches from the Sikh Empire and the era of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the colonial period, the freedom struggle and the trauma of Partition. Yet, much of this rich tourism potential remains underdeveloped.Stakeholders from Amritsar’s tourism and hospitality industry have long been seeking a policy based blueprint on expanding and building on its potential multi-day international destination on the lines of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.A concrete tourism strategy linking tourism with jobs and economic sustainability has remained elusive for years now.“With the Golden Temple being the centerpiece, visitors can also explore the historic old city, heritage buildings, traditional bazaars and religious sites,” said Gurinder Singh Johal, chairman, Indian Association of Tour Operators, in Amritsar.“Jallianwala Bagh and the Partition Museum offer powerful windows into India’s modern history, while the city’s food culture provides another unique attraction. Amritsari kulcha, lassi, chole and other Punjabi delicacies have already become famous far beyond Punjab. With organised food walks, culinary experiences and traditional cooking programmes, food itself could become an important part of the city’s tourism product. The problem is that tourism should be planned around circuits and experiences rather than individual monuments,” Johal, said. He has been curating heritage tours in city for international travellers. “Villages around Amritsar can introduce visitors to a very different Punjab — its farms, traditional homes, local cuisine, handicrafts, festivals and rural life. A visitor could begin the morning at the Golden Temple and spend the afternoon experiencing the village life,” he added.“Such experiences will not only enrich a tourist’s journey, but also supplement income of farmers, artisans, guides and small entrepreneurs. International tourists increasingly seek experiences rather than merely sightseeing. They want history, culture, food, authenticity, local interaction and stories. Amritsar possesses all of these,” shares Gagandeep Khairah, who runs farm stays.“What is needed is a sustained tourism strategy. The success of tourism should be measured by the opportunities it creates for locals,” he added.