Prayagraj, Jul 23 (IANS): Regular helicopter service connecting Lucknow with Kapilvastu and Prayagraj will begin soon to give a fillip to tourism in the region.

The two destinations -- Kapilvastu and Prayagraj -- are significant in the context of religious tourism.

To this end, dedicated heliports would be set up to offer a range of services for the passengers and crew -- including waiting rooms and lounges, well-stocked cafeterias, crew rooms, toilets, and formal reception desks.

The UP Directorate of Tourism has already invited 'Expression of Interest (EOI)' for development, operations and maintenance of heliports at Lucknow, Kapilvastu (at Gorakhpur) and Prayagraj through private sector participation on lease and development basis.

For this, a pre-bid meeting will be held on Monday, said a senior UP Tourism department official. The last date for submitting bids is August 7 while the technical bids are scheduled to be opened on August 8.

"The primary objective of the proposed heliports is to provide a facility for helicopter operations in these regions, primarily to facilitate the movement of passengers between these three cities. The developers, however, will also be allowed to use the land for development of airstrip and its operation/maintenance for aero-sports, running aviation academy, or any other aviation-related activity as well," the official added.

"The heliports would be developed as Visual Flight Rules (VFR) compliant facility," he said.