The state, known for its breathtaking beauty, loads of adventure, national parks, and religious sites, will soon have a toll free number which will facilitate tourists to plan their itinerary.

The 24x7 helpline will be run through a dedicated call centre to assist tourists.

The toll- free number -- 18001808077 -- will be accessible to anyone within and outside the country to check on hotel bookings, travel plans, destinations and related information.

It will be operational once the call centre is set up.

" It is a new initiative by the department to promote tourism in the state. We would like to give all information related to different tourism products," said Arun Kumar, director of the department of civil aviation and tourism.

State government officials said every year close to 10 million tourists ( including four lakh foreigners) visit the state.

" The helpline will be of immense help to those tourists who otherwise had to depend on information from travel operators and secondary means, thus increasing their chances of getting fleeced. The helpline will provide information at a much easier level," an official said.

The helpline is also expected to give out weather- related information since often some tourist places remain cut off from the mainland either because of snowfall, heavy rain or landslides.